Latest news with #PartizanBelgrade
The National
21-05-2025
- Sport
- The National
Dubai Basketball's dream debut season continues after ABA play-off win over Cedevita Olimpija
Dubai Basketball kept alive their dream of going all the way in the ABA League by booking a spot in the play-off semi-finals with a superb win over Cedevita Olimpija at the Coca-Cola Arena on Tuesday. Meeting the Slovenians in the rubber match of their best of three series, Dubai were clear and deserved winners as they held the lead throughout the match before finalising a 85-76 triumph. Making their debut in the ABA League, Dubai will next meet Serbian giants Partizan Belgrade, who swept aside Spartak Office Shoes 2-0 in their quarter-final. Game 1 of the semi-final series will be in Belgrade on May 26, ahead of a return in Dubai on May 29. In the other semi-final, Serbian side Crvena Zvezda and Montenegro's Buducnost VOLI clash after overcoming BC Igokea and KK Mega, respectively. The Dubai head coach Jurica Golemac felt 'really proud' and congratulated his players for their accomplishment on the night. 'We've worked for this. We didn't perform well in Slovenia [in Game 2]. We watched the tape and knew that wasn't us. We analysed and had two good practices leading up to today, with a lot of faith in each other – which is crucial when playing together,' the Slovenian said. 'Today we missed 12 free throws and hit only seven threes, but defensively everyone was on their feet, helping each other and fighting for all 40 minutes. 'Congratulations again to the players. I also want to thank the fans – they were our sixth player. Whenever we felt a bit tired, they lifted us up. 'Congratulations to Olympiacos on a great series. We knew they were our toughest quarter-final matchup, but we didn't shy away; we wanted to prove we were the better team. 'Now it's Partizan – we've already played them twice. They're favourites, having been the favourites in this quarter-final, but now it's Partizan's turn. We're confident we can compete with them and will do everything to reach the finals.' Awudu Abass dazzled with 17 points and six rebounds while Nate Mason (18) and Dubai's NBA veteran Davis Bertans (12) chipped in with useful contributions in the win. 'It was a good game,' Abass said. 'Ljubljana was our toughest matchup because they beat us at home – one of the few teams to win here in Dubai. 'So they know how to play well here. But today, we really controlled the game. We fought for each other, we shared the ball – something we didn't do in the last games. 'I'm very proud of my teammates because, at the end of the day, we've been working since August for these moments. This was a great game for us.' The Olimpija head coach Zvezdan Mitrovic, acknowledged Dubai were deserved semi-finalists. 'This was a very interesting series – three games. In the end, it was our worst game,' he said. 'Maybe we struggled because of the roster and the players available. In the second half, we were without one of our best players – Devin Robinson – who was out with an injury. But definitely, Dubai deserved to go to the semi-finals.'
The Sun
18-05-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Tiny club on ‘haven of volcanic islands' in middle of North Atlantic Ocean qualifies for Conference League
TEAMS playing in next season's Conference League will be treated to an unusual venue - in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. C.D Santa Clara, who play in Portugal 's top flight, secured a fifth-place finish on Saturday. 2 2 The club beat Farense 2-1 to book their place in next season's Conference League qualifiers. Saturday's win secured a best-ever Primeira Liga finish for the club, who are located on the tiny Atlantic archipelago of the Azores. Santa Clara are the only team from the stunning volcanic islands to have ever competed in a Uefa competition. The Azores are made up of nine main islands situated around 870 miles west of Lisbon. It is the outermost region of the European Union and became an autonomous region of Portugal in 1976. Santa Clara are based in the capital city of Ponta Delgada, which has a population of just over 70,000 and is located on Sao Miguel Island. The club made their European football bow back in 2002, replacing fellow Portuguese side Vitoria in the Intertoto Cup. And they made their Conference League debut almost two decades later after a sixth-place finish in 2021. Santa Clara will enter next season's competition at the second qualifying round. They almost made the group stages four years ago, falling to Serbian side Partizan Belgrade in the final qualifier. Should they make it this time, fans will face around a 7-hour trip to the club's 12,500-seater Estadio de Sao Miguel. Flights to the Azores from the UK are mostly via Lisbon, with travel between the different islands tricky. One fan wrote on X following Saturday's game: "Santa Clara vs [Kazakstan side] Astana, let's make it happen." Another laughed: "Mid Atlantic trip!" While a third added: "I hope the record for most km traveled in an European game is set if they get like a team from Azerbaijan. Teams will be lucky to visit Azores, it's a great place."
The National
06-05-2025
- Sport
- The National
Celtic want to sign me, I'd like to be their next Van Dijk
The Scottish champions have been linked with a move for the 17-year-old who has been tipped to become one of the best prospects to come out of the Balkans in recent years. And the Serbian stopper admitted he admires a former Parkhead idol. Read more: Milosavljevic said: "My role model in football is Virgil van Dijk. He is the best defender. "I think I have learned so much this season and winning the title with Red Star Belgrade has been a dream for me. "I played in two Eternal Derbes against Partizan Belgrade too. I'm only 17 and I understand I still have a lot of learning to do. "I hope to play many more important matches in the future and leave some mark on Red Star before I leave. "For me, the past six months are the fulfilment of a boyhood dream. As a child, I dreamed of playing for the Red Star first team. I believe in myself and hope to keep learning and improving. "I take on board a lot of advice from our manager Vladan Milojevic, who is one of the very best coaches of all time in Serbian football."
