Montenegro vs Romania

On an emotional night that began with a ceremony honouring Nikola Vučević — who ended his national-team career at EuroBasket 2025 — Montenegro rode the energy of the home crowd to a fast start. The hosts built an early lead through aggressive defence and efficient inside scoring, controlling the pace through much of the first half.

Romania, fresh off a historic upset of Greece on July 2 (73-66), refused to fold. Led by the dynamism of Daron Russell, the visitors scrapped their way back into the contest, repeatedly cutting the deficit to single digits. Romania's three-point shooting — they had scored 10+ threes in each of their last three qualifiers entering the match — kept them within striking distance.

The decisive stretch arrived in the fourth quarter. Montenegro held a narrow lead as the clock ticked under two minutes. Romania had multiple chances to tie or take the lead but could not convert, with a final attempt from beyond the arc rimming out as time expired. The 65-64 scoreline held.

Montenegro's defensive rebounding in the final two minutes proved decisive. After Romania cut the lead to one, the hosts twice secured defensive boards to deny second-chance opportunities, forcing Romania into low-percentage jump shots. The final missed three-pointer sealed Montenegro's one-point victory.

Daron Russell (Romania) — The point guard was Romania's primary scoring threat throughout, consistent with his qualifying campaign in which he had scored 20+ points in three of five previous games. His ability to break down the Montenegrin defence kept Romania alive.

Montenegro's frontcourt — Without Vučević on the floor, Montenegro's interior rotation controlled the glass in key stretches, limiting Romania's second-chance points when it mattered most.

Romania's three-point shooting — After hitting double-digit threes in three consecutive qualifiers, Romania's perimeter shooting was the equaliser that kept a more-favoured Montenegro side from pulling away.

Player of the Match was not announced by FIBA at the time of writing.

The 65-64 final reflects a game defined by defence and physicality rather than offensive flow. Montenegro, averaging 69.2 points per game in qualifying, hovered at their season average. Romania, who entered averaging 79.0 PPG, were held well below that mark — a credit to Montenegro's defensive game plan. Both teams struggled from the field, with the margin too narrow to draw sweeping conclusions beyond Montenegro's edge in crunch-time execution.

Montenegro finished Group B with a 4-2 record, good enough for first place and automatic qualification for the Second Round. Portugal's 71-56 road win over Greece in Athens — a historic result that sent Portugal to the Second Round for the first time — meant that at 3-3, both Portugal and Greece also advanced. Romania ended their campaign at 2-4, eliminated despite their stunning win over Greece on July 2.

Montenegro's Second Round campaign will see them carry results forward against teams from other groups, with World Cup qualification the ultimate prize. Romania exit the First Round with their heads held high after proving competitive against higher-ranked opposition throughout the window.

A fittingly tight conclusion to Group B's First Round. Montenegro showed composure to close out a one-possession game on a night that was as much about celebrating a national legend as it was about competitive stakes. Romania again demonstrated they belong on this stage. The Second Round awaits Montenegro; Romania rebuilds.