Azerbaijani basketball players become European champions

Azerbaijani basketball players are crowned as the new FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2024, Division C winners after defeating Luxembourg 77-71 in the final in Elbasan.

The 2016 winners got their second-ever gold with a routine success over Luxembourg who never had the lead in their first-ever encounter for the top spot on the podium.

Azerbaijan set the tone early with an 18-9 start in the first period of the game and the lead extended to a 23-point surplus, before Luxembourg answered with an 11-0 run which ensured an active result at the midway point.

A thrilling finish ensued, as Luxembourg had closed the third quarter with seven unanswered points and steered the game into turbulent water. However, Azerbaijan came up on top with a 10-3 run which erased all doubts entering the last minute.