World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers: Greece beat Romania in the opener

Greece - Romania 91-64

Greece cruised to a dominant 91–64 victory over Romania, controlling the matchup from start to finish with consistent scoring across all four quarters. The Greeks set the tone early with a 26–12 opening frame, establishing a lead that Romania was never able to threaten. Greece extended its advantage with a solid 19–17 second quarter and maintained full command after halftime, outscoring Romania 23–15 in the third. Although Romania showed some late resistance with a 20-point fourth quarter, Greece matched the pace with another 23-point period to close out the game comfortably. Their balanced offense and steady defensive pressure made the difference in an authoritative performance.
Giannoulis Larentzakis (196-SG-1993) top-scored for the winners with 18 points and Nikos Persidis (200-F-1995) netted 17. Alexandros Samodurov (211-F/C-2005) ended up with 16 points in a win. Mihai Maciuca (193-F-2000) replied with 13 points in defeat.