Eurobasket: Georgia sends France home like they sent Spain!

Georgia staged one of the biggest surprises of EuroBasket 2025 by eliminating France with a 80-70 victory, securing their first-ever spot in the quarterfinals. The arena echoed with chants of "Sakartvelo! Sakartvelo!" as the team celebrated a triumph adding to their opening day win against Spain, the reigning champions. In their sixth tournament appearance, the Georgian team has knocked out the 2022 runners-up.

Georgia controlled most of the game, allowing France to take the lead for only four minutes throughout the match. However, they never managed to build a double-digit lead, leading to a tense finale. In the final quarter, the French reduced a nine-point deficit with three consecutive triples to tie the game at 66 with four minutes remaining. Then, Tornike Shengelia emerged with a crucial three-pointer, and Kamar Baldwin extended the lead with three free throws, setting the score at 74-68 with just over a minute left, an insurmountable advantage for Frederic Fauthoux's team.

Baldwin delivered his career-best performance in the EuroBasket with 24 points and an 8-for-10 field goal shooting, leading the offensive charge. Shengelia also contributed 24 points, forming a crucial duo. Georgia also showcased their best shooting from beyond the arc with 10 out of 18 three-pointers, far surpassing France's 6 out of 36.

The defeat is a tough blow for the French team, who were without key players like Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert, or Evan Fournier, yet had ambitions of contending for medals. It's only the second time in the last 25 years that France fails to reach the continental Top 8. Sylvain Francisco, with 14 points, stood out as the most prominent player on a team that never managed to set the tempo. With this outcome, Georgia will face Finland in the quarterfinals.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Eurobasket: ¡Georgia manda a casa a Francia como mandó a España!