Translated material
Game on pause
CSKA secured victory over Juventud after a long break
The second group stage of the tournament of the strongest teams on the continent has started - the “Top-16” stage of the ULEB Euroleague. The current trophy winner CSKA started it with a home match against the Spanish club Juventud (Badalona). The army team continued their unbeaten streak in their arena, defeating the guests with a score of 81:69.“Juventud,” whose name is translated into Russian as “Youth,” showed a 50 percent result in the first stage: seven wins and losses each. The Spanish team is playing in the Euroleague for the first time; before that, for three years it took part in the ULEB Cup, and last season it competed in the main club competition under the auspices of FIBA Europe. In the final match, which took place in the Ukrainian capital, Juventud defeated our Khimki.
Yesterday's meeting began with a three-point attack from the hosts' forward Matjaz Smodis. The Slovenian scored a foul and scored a free throw. A couple of minutes later, Nikita Kurbanov and Rodolfo Fernandez exchanged accurate three-point shots. In the middle of the first period, Kurbanov was replaced by Theodoras Papaloukas, and the 16-year-old hero of the 2006 Cadet European Championship Ricardo Rubio entered the court as part of the Spanish club. The basketball prodigy scored 51 points in that famous final match against his Russian peers, and his team won in the second overtime. After Fernandez's three-pointer, CSKA's gap became maximum - 10:16. The army team, thanks to the efforts of Papaloukas, who successfully entered the game, as always, not only restored the balance, but also took the lead. However, the guests still left for a short break with a minimal advantage - 23:22.
At the beginning of the second quarter, Venezuelan Torres, who had just been acquired from Khimki, appeared on the CSKA court, replacing Anton Ponkrashov. The South American's debut in the Euroleague was immediately marked by a two-point hit. Torres did not rest on this: he forced Bennett to foul him, made an interception, and picked up the ball on his board. CSKA, in the presence of the team's newcomer, was already ahead by eight points - 33:25 thanks to accurate shots from Langdon and Smodis. However, in the last 70 seconds of the first half of the meeting, the Juventud leaders played hard. The same Fernandez and the Czech Lubos Barton accurately struck from afar - 45:45.
Italian coach Ettore Messina got the “red-blue machine” into full gear in the third quarter. The army team started it with a powerful breakthrough, scoring seven unanswered points. Langdon was especially good in this ten-minute period, twice upsetting the visitors with shots from behind the arc. At the end of the period, CSKA secured a safety margin of 13 points, and Juventud was forced to capitulate. The most productive player for the winners was Smodis - 24 points.
Late the night before, the opponent of Kazan UNICS in the quarterfinals of the ULEB Cup was determined. The Italian Montepaschi won the second match against the Greek PAOK, doing it much more modestly in Siena (80:77) than on the road in Thessaloniki (79:62). In the FIBA Europe Cup, Dynamo Moscow Region in Lyubertsy defeated the Ukrainian Azovmash (Mariupol) - 68:51. This is the first victory for acting head coach Dmitry Shakulin, who took the helm after the dismissal of Lithuanian Rutenis Paulauskas. The Blue and Whites share second place in Group J with the Latvian ASK. In the last round, Dynamo plays away at the Greek Maroussi, while the Riga team hosts Azovmash. Only two teams from each group advance to the playoffs. The Moscow region club has the best balance of personal meetings with both the Latvians and the team from Mariupol, so any “twist” for Shakulin’s charges will suit them. The main thing is not to lose in Greece if the Riga team wins.