Pangos takes revenge on Barça in a match marked by COVID-19

• Narration: This is how we live the game

• Classification.This is the Euroleague

Kevin Pangos had

his revenge.

The former Barça player, lethal in the triples and extremely motivated, was one of the keys for Zenit de Saint Petersburg to take the victory against Barça (74-70) in a match marked by COVID-19.

The duel was delayed from Thursday to Friday due to the positives of

that altered the training of the Catalans, then it was delayed one hour due to the positive of a Russian player and, finally, it was played with only two referees for the positive of one of the members of the arbitration team.

The duel, in which

and especially

also shone

, was decided in a high-voltage final that fell on the side of the locals.

On this occasion, he combined actions of merit with specific disappearances that, despite everything, did not prevent him from being the best of the Barcelona fans.

His quality, on this occasion, was not enough to avoid defeat.

The insistent lack of offensive inspiration that the Catalans showed in too many moments would be terribly decisive this time.

[Narration and statistics: 74-70]

Barça got off to a good start to the game, perfectly controlling Zenit's attacks and based, above all, on a choral game to build a first maximum advantage of eight points (2-10) thanks, above all, to two triples from

and

and the always valuable contribution of Mirotic.

The Hispanic Montenegrin, again, stood out at various times above the rest of a team that, for a few moments, came to show an asphyxiating defensive solidity.

Zenit, however, hooked on the emergence of Baron and the faith of Poythress, managed to return to the Catalans a partial of five points in favor and none against to go to the second quarter with an unfavorable score by only three points (16-19).

Exchange of blows

It was of little use to Barça to try to mark distances again at the start of the second period through

.

Xavi Pascual's team knew how to take the game to a continuous exchange of blows in which, on this occasion, a Pangos stood out especially, who had already left some other detail of his quality in the first quarter.

Excellent, for example, was his phenomenal assistance so that Poythress, with a one-handed mate, again narrowed the score to a bare 32-33 after an 8-2 run for the locals had allowed them to place it at 30- 31 to just over two minutes until the break.

The Catalans, however, were able to open a new fine gap by means of a triple by

(34-38) that Baron, after scoring one of two free throws, would leave another three-point lead for the Barcelonistas at the end of the first part (35-38).

The third quarter, of course, was another exchange of blows.

As much as Abrines, with his usual aim from beyond the three-point line, tried to put Barça back in a comfortable point guard, Zenit once again exhibited the combativeness shown in the first half to take the game to an uncertain outcome.

Mirotic, after his promising first minutes, was nothing short of unprecedented in a period in which Pangos' desire for revenge and the usual contribution of Baron and Poythress pushed the scoreboard to 54-55 to face the last and final period.

Baron himself, a few seconds to the end of the quarter, wasted his option from free throws to equalize the light and missed one of his shots.

The worst thing for the locals, however, was that Poythress, essential, was charged with his fourth personal foul.

Something that, in the end, however, would not take its toll at all.

Zenit's first advantage

As soon as the last quarter started, Zenit managed to get on the scoreboard for the first time with an action quickly answered by Mirotic.

The Montenegrin Hispanic, in the next Barça attack, even assisted Claver to put the score 56-60 with a triple.

That joy would not last long.

The Russians tried to pull of combativeness to despair at Barça.

They responded again and again to the visitors' attempts to leave once and for all on the scoreboard and insistently pressed things in search of a heart attack ending.

A moment of trouble in which, of course, the presence of Mirotic would once again be decisive to prevent the evil from happening to greater.

The Barcelona star knew how to transmit to his team the serenity necessary to redouble their efforts in defense and finally find good offensive actions that led them to 63-68.

His reaction, however, remained a mirage.

Zenit, far from throwing in the towel, threw lethality in the triples and their proverbial tireless fight to get over the top again, this time with a maximum advantage of three points practically four minutes before the end of the match (71-68 ) after

.

The faith of Zenit, in that end of heart attack that they seemed to seek from the start of the duel, allowed them to short-circuit the Catalans and, after an unsportsmanlike attack by

, end up taking the victory 74-70 and caused the first defeat of Barça in the Euroleague this season.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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