On the gray parquet of the Stark Arena, a cauldron of bustle and decibels in Belgrade that appears south of the Danube, Joan Peñarroya’s Barcelona arrived at half-time with the strange feeling of not having materialized their dominance against a Partizan that, under the desperate displays of Zeljko Obradovic, deity of European basketball, does not play brilliantly, nor does it play pretty, but it struggles, and a lot, before letting itself go in any Euroleague duel.
The eight-point deficit at halftime (41-33) did not intimidate the Blaugranas, who, boosted by the performance of , crystal clear on the microphones at half-time – “We have to reduce errors and be alert in defense,” he warned on television – managed to turn the match around two minutes before the end of the third act.
The exterior success of the volcanic Kevin Punter, pure nerve in his particular return to Belgrade, and the concentration under the basket, especially in defense, of , but useful at times for Peñarroya as a resource from the back of the bench, also helped.
Barcelona had not lost in Belgrade against Partizan since 2010, when, just the year in which the Blaugranas would end up winning their second Euroleague, the last to date, a very young Jan Vesely, now a culé, captured 15 rebounds in the Serbians’ last-minute victory (67-66). A lot has changed for the Czech center, Barça and the competition since then. Only Obradovic’s anger in the band remains immobile over time, capable of bringing all the shades of autumn to the same face in the same game.
Peñarroya’s team began to bleed out on the rebound when the stands at the Stark Arena were getting tighter and only Shengelia, who otherwise, appeared when her team needed it most to save the score and prolong the culé’s immaculate streak on the banks of the Danube. Victory suffered and worked, but ultimately deserved (76-78) for a Barça that closes the European week with wins against Milan and Partizan.
Baskonia blurs Efes in Vitoria
In the other game of the night with Spanish participation, Baskonia beat Anadolu Efes at the Buesa Arena (86-75) with a great game from Frenchman Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot (20 points, three steals and +17 on the court) and former Real Madrid player Matteo Spagnolo (19 points and six rebounds for a total of 28 PIR, the best of the match). After a chain of six defeats in the first six rounds of the Euroleague, Paolo Galbiati’s men say goodbye to the week of double continental fixtures with two wins, against Dubai and Efes, which provide a respite after the poor start to the season.
