Translated material
Away from a draw
Dynamo player Domani upset Hapoel fans
In the first match of the semifinals of the ULEB Cup, the capital's Dynamo team won away from Hapoel Jerusalem - 84:83. The victory for the “blue and white” in Israel was brought by Dmitry Domani, who converted in 2.5 seconds. before the end of the match one of two free throws. If he had missed both times, it would have been a draw. An equal score in basketball matches is allowed only in confrontations consisting of two meetings. The return match will take place on March 28 in Moscow.Hapoel was acquired last year by millionaire Arkady Gaydamak, a native of the USSR. Despite the fact that the team won the ULEB Cup in 2004, its financial affairs were worse than ever. Gaydamak was not embarrassed by the club’s plight, and he gave the coaching staff carte blanche to acquire high-quality players. Americans Roger Mason, Mario Austin and Horace Jenkins, who played in the NBA for Detroit last season, came to Jerusalem. These black basketball players largely determine the game of the current Hapoel.
At the preliminary stage, Dynamo played in the same group with yesterday's opponent and shared the points - 86:68 in Moscow and 83:87 on the road. The second trip to the Promised Land did not promise anything good for the “blue and white”. Fans of the Israeli club promised the guests a “warm” welcome. The fans here are furious, loud and even rabid. The unexpected victory of Hapoel in the quarterfinal confrontation over the Italian Virtus brought excitement to the camp of the Jerusalem fans, and now they will be given the ULEB Cup again.
Dynamo also has everything at stake in this tournament. In the National Cup, the team of Serbian coach Dusan Ivkovic did not even reach the Final Four, completely losing to teammates from the Moscow region; in the regular championship of the Super League, things are also going worse than ever - only fifth place and the gloomy prospect of starting the playoffs without an advantage of your site. And it seems that there is no force in Russia that could stop the “red-blue” machine of CSKA.
The Jerusalemites started the first semi-final very cheerfully - 15:5. The hosts managed three accurate three-point shots, but they did not adjust in time and continued to attack in an extremely monotonous manner, trying to hit the hoop from long range. Due to Hapoel's recklessness, the Muscovites not only equalized the score by the end of the first quarter, but also took a slight lead. Before the big break, the hosts had a two-point advantage - 43:41.
The situation in the old Malkha hall, which seats 2500-3000 spectators, was heating up every minute. The fans demanded not only a victory, but as much margin of points as possible before the return game. The narrow space between the stands and the site was gradually strewn with various paper rubbish, and each Dynamo attack was met with a deafening whistle. Austin began to play out - he increasingly began to take rebounds on the opponent’s backboard and finish the ball. For Dynamo, the lion's share of points in the team's treasury was brought by the American Mair Chatman, but the Russian-born Greek Lazar Popandopulo was covered very tightly by the Hapoel players. Nevertheless, the 2005 European champion, in a dense environment, still received the ball and, with stiff resistance, hit the target.
Trailing by seven points (52:59), Dynamo made a breakthrough at the end of the third period - 9:0. Jenkins' nerves gave way and he received a technical foul. Douglas made two free throws, although before that he had constantly missed field goals. At the beginning of the final quarter, Dynamo's Greek Antonios Fotsis pleased with a well-aimed long-range shot. A few episodes later, he hit the ball into the hoop from above after Chatman’s pass, and even forced the opponent to foul.
Two hours before Dynamo and Hapoel, the participants of the second final match of the Women's European Cup took to the floor of the Sports Palace in Khimki. Spartak near Moscow, having a 15-point advantage on the road, hosted the French ASPTT (Aix-en-Provence). The “red-whites” also won the second match - 72:66. “Spartak” won the second most important continental trophy for the fourth time, which during the years of previous triumphs of the then Soviet club was called the Ronchetti Cup. The current victory has minimal connection with the achievements of the Russian basketball school. The starting five of the European Cup winner in both final meetings included foreign legionnaires, including the best player in the world, three-time Olympic champion Lisa Leslie.