Germany heads to its 1st FIBA World Cup championship after upsetting Team USA

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Germany's Andreas Obst drives to the basket against Team USA in the FIBA Basketball World Cup semifinals Friday. Germany upset the U.S. 113-111, and will take on Serbia this Sunday in its first-ever championship game. / AP

Germany bumped the United States out of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Cup finals in a stunning 113-111 upset on Friday in the Philippines. Team USA will take on Canada this Sunday for third place, while Germany and Serbia fight for the gold.

Germany shut down the Americans in the highest scoring semifinal match in FIBA Basketball World Cup history.

The U.S. has won five FIBA championships, but Germany will play its first World Cup final this Sunday.

A key component of Germany's upset in Manila was attributed to 27-year-old Andreas Obst, the 6-foot-3 shooting guard who has been dubbed "the Obst-acle" on social media. He racked up 24 points, including four three-pointers as well as six assists.

Obst delivered a deep shot with 1 minute and 14 seconds left in the game, giving Germany a critical four-point cushion over the Americans, bringing the score to 111-107. Germany managed to wind down the clock, with the end score of 113-111.

Up until this point, Obst was a relatively unknown player, but all of that changed Friday with many taking to the internet to become his biggest cheerleaders.

Eurohoops editor Cesare Milanti posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter: "Put some damn respect on Andrea Obst's name, please."

"Looks like Germany was too big of an OBST-acle for USA," tweeted Rob Karaznevic, a college and youth athletic scout.

Friday's defeat marks the second consecutive World Cup loss for the U.S. since the team's back-to-back championships over Serbia in 2014 and Turkey in 2010.

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