The retinas of those present will never forget the second game of the 2022-23 Euroleague playoffs between Real Madrid and Partizan Belgrade, on April 27 at the WiZink Center. The Serbians were destroying the whites, on the verge of making it 2-0 in the best-of-five tie, and, out of nowhere, the stadium caught fire. Llulla prisoner of frustration and with one minute and forty seconds remaining (80-95 on the scoreboard), made a strong foul on Puntervisiting star, and the protagonists lost control.
Punches, 21 sent off, fines of 50,000 euros for both teams, sanctions and an unfinished game was the result of the most high-profile fight in European basketball in decades. A fuse that allowed the whites to revive and, in the end, become European champions. Feuds that will continue today, as both sides face each other again for the first time (20.45, Movistar) Since that day.
The brawl, more than about the blows, was on everyone’s lips because Madrid had to travel to Belgrade, one of the most feared hells in basketball. There, against all odds and with an unbreathable atmosphere (even Spanish journalists suffered harassment from Serbian fans), the pupils of Chus Mateo They won both games and, in the fifth and decisive game, they sealed their ticket to the Final Four.
Madrid, today, continues on the upward trend that allowed it to win in the Serbian capital. Spectacular and effective basketball, very well seasoned by the signing of Campazzo, which allows them to be the fittest team in Europe (14 wins in 15 Euroleague games and 13 in 14 in the Spanish league). Meanwhile, Partizan, after several years away from the elite, has once again become a highly feared entity thanks to the management of the legendary Zeljko Obradovicwho is experiencing his second stage as coach of the club (fourth ranked in the Euroleague).
“He wants to be champion, enter the Final Four, and he will surely be there because of the consistency he shows on a day-to-day basis and because of the potential of the squad and his coach,” acknowledged Mateo at a press conference, who could not avoid the Ask about last season’s playoffs. «They know our court well, from last year’s playoffs, and they will want revenge. “We have to be ready for it.”
Beyond Partizan’s fearsome squad, it is their fans, led by ‘The Gravediggers’, who distinguish Belgrade from the rest of the Euroleague teams. A tireless and very belligerent fan that allows players to be supported when their legs fail. So committed that they often cause incidents, as happened last Wednesday in Valencia.
During the duel against the Spanish, the visiting spectators, according to the orange club itself, invaded sectors of the local stands, smoked inside the stadium (in Serbia this is allowed or a blind eye is turned) and intimidated those present, so much so that even the Police had to charge against the Serbs with the game at stake. Valencia, after the incidents, has already sent different documents for the Euroleague. Obradovic, in addition to the victory, felt satisfied with his followers. “I thank our incredible fans for supporting us wherever we go.”
2023-12-20 22:43:20
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