Panathinaikos Athens handily defeated Fenerbahce Istanbul in the first EuroLeague semifinal, 73-57, played on Friday evening at Berlin’s Uber Arena.
The tip-off was delayed for 26 minutes due to security reasons, while hooligan violence, attributed by media reports in the German capital to young Turkish fans, was recorded outside the indoor arena.
Panathinaikos erupted in the beginning of the match with a 12:0 run.
The Athens side will face Real Madrid, who earlier downed the second Greek team, Olympiacos BC, which made it to the Euroleague’s “Final Four”.
The Spanish side never fell behind throughout the game to win 87-76 over the Greek champions. A much-anticipated “Greek Final” did not materialize despite an rally by Olympiacos in the third quarter, as the team lost steam in the fourth and final quarter.
Limiting the Turkish champions to only 57 points scored, the Athens side resisted a late rally by the latter.
Speaking in the post-game press conference, Olympiacos coach Giorgos Bartzokas referred to his team’s trajectory this season. “It was the end of a European dream this year, where we had to overcome a lot of problems and issues. We had the bad luck of playing against Real, which is in great shape,” he said in opening his comments before the press.
The annual EuroLeague final four takes place in another major European city every year, pitting the continent’s top pro basketball clubs.
