CSKA Moscow v FC Barcelona Lassa: Defeat at notoriously tough court (92-76)
Bartzokas’ men suffer a loss against a side well-known for its home prowess and lose top spot in the group
FC Barcelona Lassa went down to a 92-76 defeat at the hands of CSKA Moscow on Friday night, meaning that the Russians take over as leaders of the Euroleague group.
At a place where teams are well aware of just how difficult it is to play, Barça put up a solid fight but were ultimately outdone by a more-than capable side.
The match began with a basket from Doellman who gave Barça the lead but the first quarter ended up being dominated by the hosts as they raced to a 24-11 lead.
The second quarter was far better from a blaugrana perspective – a treble from Vezenkov and a basket from Navarro gave the team a good push at the start of the period and the team managed to narrow the deficit to just two points going into the break (44-42).
After the restart, Barça first levelled through Koponen before taking the lead with a treble from the same player. It was a remarkable turnaround and, even when CSKA regained the lead, Doellman and Claver again pulled the game level.
The home, thanks to Teodosic and Kurbajnov with trebles of their own, were able to go into the fourth and final quarter six points (71-65).
The game remained open but the Russian side displayed their quality in the final stretch as they pulled well away from Bartzokas’ men, ending the gripping affair 92-76.