Finland 🇫🇮 v Belgium 🇧🇪 | Extended Highlights | FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers

They just need to now start closing out those close games. They cannot afford to be on the wrong side of any more score lines. No two ways about that. It has been the Finnish way. It's all about mental toughness, determination. Hands it ahead. We'll come back out to him. It means a change between those two. Basketball here from Belgium and it pays off. Salim for three. Sasu Salim. Cleveland on the wing is good to try and close the path away for Salim. Salim quick release. Nice offensive rebound though pulled in by Gustav. Suddenly throws it down with a big right hand. Bumped inside. Strong move. Right hand hook. That's good from Rida. Paving away. That's good. Log down low. Little pump fake. Draws the defense. Won't get the and one. Rida will have to head to the line to earn his point. Nice pass inside. Good defensive stand. Salim takes a stand and Gustafsson is there to bat it away. Nice drive inside. Just keep going until the defense offers up. Maschini. Drive inside. Not this time. Fade away no good as well. Another three ball. This time it's good though. Up to three team fouls now in this quarter. Step through jumper is good. Back into the game comes Kamoa. Belgium will extend their lead. Just about three minutes left in this first quarter. Nice pass inside. Good defensive stand and Belgium will regain possession. Pressure legs in the fourth quarter. Right hand hook shot is good. Almost a turnover it is. Good defensive stand yet again by Belgium. Kick to the wing. Little step in. Little sidestep and the three is good. Kamoa trying to find a way through. You have to put the three up as the shot clock's running down and he hits a big three. Lecomte whipped to the weak side. Leimberg hits a three. Leantanen takes over. Takes the contact in the post. Good defensive play. Another strong move though. The bigs having a picture shot up off balance. Inside Leantanen blocked a big block. Pulls up for the screen. Doesn't take it comfortable inside. Kicked out. Nice shot play. Three ball is good. String music for Belgium. Straight away coach Jouvi will call his second and final time out of the first half as he sees. Shot at the top is good and that's the way to answer and react out of the time out. Back his way inside. Nice interior pass. Great backdoor cut along the baseline. A loose ball off balance fading away. Derrida with the rebound though and the three goes up and goes down. Another big triple from Leimberg. A huge three from Belgium just takes the wind out of their sails. Nice crossover. Makshuni. A long inbound pass. A hopeful inbound pass. Abza will pull it away. Clear the runway. A little right hander. Softly does it. Nice pass inside. Nice hand off. Good block from behind but Botanovic is just there to pick up the scraps and get the job done. Hand and end. Well hit a little mid-range uncontested jumper. Ends it up and slows it down. Mourinen hands it away. Gustafsson in and out. Scramble for the rebound. Madsen gets it in. Wide open now. Brungern hits a big three. That's a big time. There's a bit of an advantage psychologically to that one. Schwartz with the three. Another big shot. What a game Lloyd Schwartz is having. Brungern finds a lane to attack. Oh what a huge lob and finish with some thunder. Mourinen. Hanging by a thread right now. A win would be huge. Almost as big as that dunk by Mourinen. Off the glass. No good. Scramble for the rebound. Falls into the hands of Giese. He's going to go all the way. Oh a thunderous block now. Finland 34, Belgium 37 is our scoreline here at the half. Nice pass down low and a nice easy finish for Derrida. All the way through. Comte pulls up short. Mid-range jumper is good. Salin. Baseline drive all the way through. Almost deflected. Matsuni comes up short. Salin will take their time. Finland have got a new shot clock to work with. Gustafsson. Kamoa. Shot clock at three. He's gonna have to put it up. And he hits a three. Second triple of the game. Six point ball game. Salin in the passing lane. Intercepts. Two on one break. Kamoa will draw the half out. I think from Derrida. Comte pulls up at a free throw line. Hits another big jumper. Manu Comte. What a game he is having. Matsuni hands it to Gustafsson. Nice drive inside. Tough play. Oh and the follow. A two-handed put back. The Finnish player on the floor holding his face. Gustafsson will pick up the ball and he'll go all the way but it's blocked. Another follow though. Jantanen will get the score. Giese. Off target. Ratanovich. Too strong. Too powerful. Second bucket of the game for him. Madsen now goes inside and one. There's that little cross back to the other side. Didn't switch to his left hand. Stayed in the right hand but just switching back across the front of Ratanovich. Here you go. There you go. Just Matsuni inside. Nice pass to Madsen. Good block by Ratanovich though. Matsuni hands it back to Seppala. Pulls up in the slot for three and Finland have their first lead of the game. Matsuni with another big play. Crowd are lifting this team even more now and a turnover. Bounces off the foot of the ridder. Oh it's near the runway. Kamowa goes to the top floor and a four-point lead for Finland as Belgium start to creep. That's four minutes without a bucket right now as Finland with a crowd lifting them. Absolutely starting to control this game and that brings it to an end. That is a bright shot and a big moment. Kamowa all the way through and a big jumper from the 25-year-old Jantanen. Shot clock at seven. Bleinberg way downtown but he hits a big three in that tournament. I'm sure he'd like to get back to another World Cup with his national team. Lacompo trying to stop it at all costs. It's back to a one-point ball game. Seppala waits for the screen from Madsen. Down low. Bullet pass. Handed away. Amsel now inside. Great play and a smart play really by Amsel. The ridder hands it to Schwarz. Schwarz can't hold on to it though. Kamowa inside for two. Patient build-up now by Finland. Not looking to rush anything. Seppala down low. Kamowa and a timeout's going to be called as Finland carving Belgium's defense apart with ease. A little over six minutes to play. Finland's lead is back up to depending on the result between France and Hungary. Schwarz for three. Foul has been called. Seppala going underneath Schwarz. Ulrich Schwarz will head to the line for three free throws. Now a chance for Belgium to tie or even take the lead here. Pressure starting to ramp up. Lacombe's off the glass. Ice cold. Maciuni pulls the trigger on a long two. That's in and out. Madsen and one. Alexander Madsen. Gustafsson all the way through. Maciuni loses the handle. Oh nice pass inside. Gustafsson with the score. Lacombe back to the top. Schwarz quick release and hits it. Dives out into the passing lane. That is a great read by Mikhail Jantanen. Kamowa and one. Lacombe's left in a matchup. He did not want none of his teammates helping over. Gustafsson and one. What a play. André Gustafsson. You saw it in his eyes. Just going to an eight point lead. Lacombe's now. Oh nice little head fake. Drives inside. We'll get the quick two. Two possession ball game. Lacombe hands it. Blindberg. Hits a three. Now it's interesting. Now we've got a ball game. A three point lead for Finland. 39 seconds to play. A five points. Back at the line for the second. Gets them both. Schwarz won't take the three. Needs to take a shot Blindberg. Step back. Little fake. Resets himself. Oh and he hits the three. My goodness me. He took long enough to do it. He took his time. Rens Blindberg has just hit a dagger three. And it's a two point. Wolfpack. The Finnish fans. Hits the second. But Belgium with a hot hand right now. Schwarz. Five seconds. Blindberg for three. Hyrie will be Finland who take the win. Oh my goodness. What a game we've had here in Espoo.