Portugal shocks Spain in basketball for second summer running
Portugal's national basketball team pulled off a surprise win over Spain, 95:89, in a World Cup qualifying game in Zaragoza. It marks the second consecutive summer Portugal has stunned the Spanish side.
In the first game window of the second round of European qualifying for the 2027 Basketball World Cup, Portugal's national team secured a surprising 95:89 victory over Spain in Zaragoza. This was not the first such upset — on August 5 last year, the two teams met in a warm-up game ahead of EuroBasket in Malaga, where Portugal won 76:74. Since then, the Portuguese side has repeatedly shown it can compete with Europe's stronger teams, including a convincing 71:56 win over Greece in Athens in July.
Course of the game
The visitors started strongly, leading 21:14 after the first quarter. The hosts managed to level the contest, pulling ahead 36:28, but Portugal held firm and regained the lead by halftime, 47:41. In the third quarter, Spain opened a 10:0 run to build the game's largest margin, 68:59. However, at the start of the final quarter Portugal answered with an impressive 19:3 run, seizing the initiative and ultimately securing the win.
Top scorers
Portugal's top scorer was Travante Williams with 22 points, followed by Diogo Ventura with 19. For Spain, Barcelona guard Dario Brizuela led the way with 19 points and five assists, followed by Valencia's Alvaro Cardenas with 18 points and Brizuela's club teammate Joel Parra with 17.
This marked Spain's second consecutive defeat in the qualifying tournament. In the overall standings, Spain still leads its group with five wins and two losses, while Portugal sits fourth with four wins and three losses. The qualifying tournament continues with further games on August 30 and 31.
