Finland's men's basketball team has progressed to the semi-finals of the European championships for the first time, after a convincing 93-79 win over Georgia in Wednesday evening's quarter final in Riga.
An impressive show of scoring by Finland's "wolf pack" included 17 three-pointers, as well as a spectacular slam dunk by Finnish basketball's new wonderkid Miikka Muurinen.
Finland will face a stern test in Friday's semi-final against world champions Germany, who they lost to during the group phase on a scoreline of 91-61.
Yle Sport pundit Pekka Salminen noted that the defeat to Germany could actually play into Finland's hands in the semi-final.
"We learned from that, and I'm sure it also sticks in the minds of the Germans that the game was pretty easy for them. Now the situation will be different," Salminen said.
The win over Georgia on Wednesday evening sparked scenes of celebration across the country, including at a bar in the Vallila district of Helsinki.
Salminen added further that the team's historic progression to the semi-final of a European championship tournament has come at just the right time for Finnish basketball.
"Now we have momentum," he said. "We need to take advantage of the visibility and the hype, bring in more players, and raise the profile of the sport even further. The boys are doing their best out there, and the people behind the scenes are handling the PR – let’s make the most of this opportunity together."
