Olympiakos reaches Euroleague final
Olympiakos will be Greece’s sole representative in the Euroleague final on Sunday after seeing off Barcelona in the semifinal in Istanbul on Friday, a few hours after Panathinaikos was denied victory by CSKA Moscow.
The Reds beat Barcelona 68-64, despite being the underdogs in the game, thanks to a great showing by the team’s most expensive player, Vassilis Spanoulis.
The Greece guard scored 21 points and inspired a combative Olympiakos to a win that was thoroughly deserved as the Greeks led throughout the match.
In the final, coach Dusan Ivkovic?s team will face CSKA Moscow, who came from behind to beat Panathinaikos 66-64 in a thrilling semifinal.
Panathinaikos coach and officials are crying foul over a number of calls by the referees in the final period, which saw the Greens lose their 64-60 lead and succumb to the tournament’s favorite.
The European champion has therefore surrendered its crown despite leading by as many as 14 points in the first period (29-15) and Sarunas Jasikevicius having a great evening, scoring 19 points.
On Sunday Panathinaikos will face Barcelona for the third spot.
