Serbia U20 lead Spain 62-57 late in the European semi-final

Serbia held a 62-57 lead over Spain with 5:01 left in the fourth quarter. The official tournament protocol showed that score at 21:09 UTC on 18 July. At that check, 5:01 remained in the fourth quarter and Serbia led by five points.

Serbia won the first quarter 25-11 and reached half-time with a 42-28 advantage. Spain reduced the difference in the second half. The third quarter ended 21-17 to Spain, and Spain scored eight of the first 11 points in the fourth period.

The lead had fallen from 14 points at half-time to five at the stated check. Serbia still held the advantage, but almost half of the final quarter remained. The winner will face Slovenia in the championship game.

The semi-final began at 21:00 local time in Ljubljana. Serbia scored 25 points in the opening quarter. Spain managed 11 during the same period. The 14-point difference became the main feature of the first half.

Serbia reached 42 points by the interval. Spain added 17 in the second quarter but did not reduce the margin. A 17-17 period left the half-time score at 42-28.

Spain won the third quarter 21-17 and cut the gap to ten points. The fourth period then began 8-3 in Spain's favour. Those completed and partial period scores produced the confirmed 62-57 score with 5:01 left.

Half-time shooting numbers separated the teams

Serbia made 13 of 26 field-goal attempts before the break. Spain made nine of 35. That gave Serbia a 50 percent field-goal rate, while Spain stood at 25.7 percent.

Serbia converted ten of 18 two-point attempts and three of eight three-pointers. Spain made six of 13 shots inside the arc and three of 22 from long range. Spain's three-point rate was 13.6 percent.

A Serbia U20 player finishes near the basket during a 2026 game.

The free-throw line added another difference. Serbia made 13 of 17 attempts. Spain scored seven of 11. These figures cover the first 20 minutes of the semi-final.

Andrej Lucic led Serbia before the interval

Andrej Lucic scored 16 first-half points for Serbia. He made four field goals and seven free throws. His line also included two rebounds and two assists in just over 16 minutes.

Mitar Bosnjakovic added 13 points before half-time. He made five of seven field-goal attempts, including two three-pointers. Nikola Dzepina had six points, four rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block.

Iker Garmendia and Max Gaspa led Spain with nine points each. Garmendia also recorded three steals and one block. No other Spanish player had more than three points at the interval.

Serbia held a 23-19 rebound advantage at half-time. The assist count was level at six. Spain had six turnovers, while Serbia had eight. The shooting difference therefore carried more weight than the turnover count.

Spain committed 16 personal fouls before the break. Serbia committed 11. The foul total helped Serbia reach 17 free-throw attempts during the first 20 minutes.

In domestic football, Vojvodina named the title as their target before the opening round.

Serbia scored 20 points in the paint and Spain scored eight. Serbia also had seven second-chance points. Spain recorded eight, despite its lower overall shooting percentage.

Both teams arrived with five tournament wins

Serbia entered the semi-final after five victories in Ljubljana. The quarter-final ended with a 92-66 win over Greece. Spain also arrived unbeaten after defeating Germany 88-69.

Before the semi-final, Serbia averaged 86 points and 48.6 rebounds per game. Spain averaged 82.2 points and 49.6 rebounds. Spain had 22 assists per game, compared with Serbia's 18.8.

Spain U20 players celebrate during the current European tournament.

Serbia's pre-game shooting averages were 54 percent for two-pointers and 32.4 percent for threes. Spain entered at 52.7 and 24.5 percent. The live semi-final figures are separate from those five-game averages.

The other semi-final already produced one finalist

Slovenia defeated France 91-89 in the earlier semi-final. The host nation therefore secured the first place in the championship game. France moved into the bronze-medal match.

The winner of Spain against Serbia will face Slovenia. The losing team will meet France. Those pairings become official only after the current semi-final reaches a final score.

Serbia defeated Spain 76-66 in the 2025 European U20 quarter-final. That result belongs to the previous tournament and different rosters. The 2025 quarter-final remains a separate historical result.

The score is tied to a precise fourth-quarter check

The official protocol was checked at 21:09 UTC on 18 July. That was 23:09 in Ljubljana and 00:09 in Moscow on 19 July. The page listed the fourth quarter as active with 5:01 on the game clock.

Serbia had made 21 of 42 field-goal attempts at that point. The total included 18 of 31 two-pointers and three of 11 three-pointers. Spain had made 18 of 60 attempts, including five of 32 shots from long range.

Andrej Lucic led Serbia with 20 points. Mitar Bosnjakovic had 15, while Nikola Dzepina added 12 points, four rebounds, three assists and three blocks. Dusan Stanojevic led Serbia with nine rebounds.

Iker Garmendia led Spain with 13 points. Max Gaspa had ten, and Ruben Alocen had nine. Spain held a 17-11 advantage in offensive rebounds, but Serbia led 38-30 in total rebounds and had scored 36 points in the paint.

At the 21:09 UTC protocol check, Serbia led 62-57 with Andrej Lucic on 20 points, Mitar Bosnjakovic on 15 and Nikola Dzepina on 12. Spain had reduced a 14-point half-time gap to five with 5:01 left in the fourth quarter.