The Olympiacos forward had an MVP-level performance in a win-or-go-home game (PHOTO: FIBA)
Sasha Vezenkov put Bulgaria on his back to keep EuroBasket 2025 hopes alive
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It took overtime for the result to be settled, but Sasha Vezenkov – not for the first time this season – went into Superman mode to ensure his team went home happy.
An enthralling back-and-forth contest between Vezenkov’s Bulgaria and a resilient Sweden in the EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers on Thursday night will be one to remember for the fans inside Arena Botevgrad, who were treated to a truly dominant performance by the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague’s MVP of the Month for January.
Vezenkov put up eye-popping numbers by posting a 40-point, 18-rebound double-double in an 81-77 overtime victory, in addition to dishing 4 assists, making 2 steals and recording a 49 efficiency rating – the highest PER of any player in the EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers. Those 40 points are the third most by a player during these qualifiers, too.
One of the more impressive aspects of his performance was that he didn’t slow down, despite being double-teamed for large parts of the contest – particularly in the closing stages. At halftime he sat on 16 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, then he added 18 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and another steal in the second half. Once in overtime, he made sure to tag on 6 points and 2 rebounds.
As EuroLeague fans know, once the Olympiacos Piraeus star gets going, there’s no cooling him off. It was needed, too, because Bulgaria came into the game knowing that it needed to win, having gone 1-3 through the first four games. However, Bulgaria’s four-point win wasn’t enough to overturn the 14-point loss it suffered against Sweden in the first window, meaning Sweden still has the head-to-head advantage.
"Fourteen points was really tough. But I am proud of these guys,” Vezenkov said after the game. “The third quarter was magnificent and we got close, but we couldn't do it.”
Thursday night’s triumph improved Bulgaria to a 2-3 mark and saw it move to seven points, yet Germany’s 76-95 win at Montenegro in the late tipoff on Thursday has made things more complicated for Vezenkov and co.
Heading into the final round of games in the EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers, Bulgaria remains bottom of Group D but still has a chance of progressing given that the standings are so congested; both Bulgaria and third-placed Sweden are on seven points, with first-placed Germany and second-placed Montenegro on eight. And who will Vezenkov’s team be facing next? Germany, the reigning FIBA World Cup champion.
Bulgaria head into Sunday’s game in Bamberg knowing, once again, that anything other than a win will result in elimination. Perhaps Bulgaria already has the blueprint, though, having defeated Germany 67-62 in the first window – and that was a game without Vezenkov available. Still, the Olympiacos star is aware of the task at hand.
"It's really tough. They have really good players,” Vezenkov said of Germany. “They have seven guys from the World Cup team. Nothing is impossible but it will be really, really tough.”
Germany certainly comes into the game as the favorite, but that could actually play into Bulgaria’s favor. Plus, if anybody is capable of making the impossible possible, it is Sasha Vezenkov.