Seef exit after quarter-final defeat

Bahrain’s Seef saw their Sofia Open 3x3 Palms Lite Quest campaign end yesterday in Sofia, Bulgaria, after a hard-fought quarter-final defeat in a tightly contested knockout run.

Seef had kept their momentum alive earlier in the day with a dramatic 21–20 win over hosts 3X3 Sofia in the last-16 stage. The victory, sealed in the closing moments, sent the Bahraini side into the quarter-finals after a tense contest that went right down to the wire.

Their knockout journey ended later that evening when they fell 21–18 to Serbia’s Uzice Zlatiborac. Despite staying within reach for much of the match, Seef couldn't respond to the Serbians’ late push, ending their tournament in the last eight.

Seef’s run in Sofia had already been shaped by fine margins from the opening day. They began Pool F with a narrow 13–12 defeat to Bulgaria’s Levski Palms Bet before bouncing back strongly with a 20–17 win over Dublin to stay in contention.

Their progression was confirmed only after Dublin defeated Levski 21–19, allowing Seef to advance as group runners-up on standings, underlining how closely contested the group phase proved to be.

The Bahraini quartet of Bogdan Dragovic, Austin Ajukwa, Uros Ilic and Isa Jasim then carried that resilience into the knockout rounds, producing a statement win in the last 16 before eventually falling short against experienced Serbian opposition.

The Sofia Open is part of the FIBA 3x3 Lite Quest circuit on the Road to the World Tour pathway, offering ranking points and qualification opportunities for Challenger-level events.

For Seef, the campaign ends with positives from a competitive showing in Europe, even though their run finished just short of the semi-finals.