European premieres of different sorts for FC Porto, Benfica and Sporting

O FC Porto entered, at the beginning of the night of Wednesday, with the ‘left foot’ in the group stage of the new sports season of 2026/27 of the League of Basketball Champions, on leaving defeated the trip to Telekom Dome, in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Germany, before Baskets Bonn, for 78-74.

The dragons reached German soil in the condition of ‘underdogs’, and were dominated over the first three periods. In the fourth and last, they reacted and even put themselves to just two points of restoring equality, but without ‘legs’ to keep up with the pace of the opponents, they actually lost.

The American extreme Alijah Comithier was ‘hot’, and ended this duel with 18 points, to which he added five points. On the dragon's side, the most unconformed player was his compatriot, James Woodward base, with 13 points and a jump, after the 20 minutes he stepped on the court.

Given this outcome, Baskets Bonn added the first two points of the time, which allows it to ascend to the top place of Group H, with the 'company' of Asisa Joventut. Right behind are FC Porto and Bnei Herzilya, with one point each.

Benfica and Sporting smile in the FIBA Europa Cup

It was also a European premiere day for Benfica and Sporting at the FIBA Europa Cup. The incarnates were the first to go to the game, and they took the best over the Bakken Bears, by 81-91, in a meeting where they were superior, despite the slight ‘scar’ lived in the final line, when the Danes shortened distances.

The American base Aaron Broussard was ‘intractable’, and was by far the best scorer of the match, with 27 points in the personal account, to which he added five robberies and two resistances. Myles Corey was the main threat to incarnate pretensions, but the 18 points did not arrive to make 'mosse'.

The green and white also ‘tremeded’ and even had to go to extension, but beat the Rilski Sportist, in the João Rocha Pavilion, by 79-75, ‘reiming’, thus, of the losses suffered consecutively in visits to FC Porto (in Supertaça, by 80-76) and Benfica (for the inaugural round of the national championship, by 84-71).

The man of the game was the Portuguese base Francisco Amarante, who recorded 24 points, three points and one assistance, but did not miss much for the distinction to escape him to the North American post, reached a double-double, consisting of 12 points and ten caveats, which added an assistance.

This means that, at the end of the first journey, Benfica leads Group G, with the same two Lions points of Genève and Yukatel Denizli Basket. Right behind you are Bakken Bears, BK Prievidza and Absheron Lions, with one point each.

The same is true of Sporting, which adds the first two points in the competition and equals Esenler Erikspor and Kolossos Rhodes at the top of Group C, followed by Rilski Sportist, SCM Craiova and Gence BK, a trio that counts a point in the ‘bagageira’.