FCBARCELONA.CAT

25.02.2010 22:56

Barça edge towards the quarters (67-70)

Sònia de Alba

Regal Barça took a huge stride towards the next phase of the Euroleague as they defeated the reigning European champions in their own arena after a dramatic last quarter comeback.

Xavi pascual's side recorded their third win of the Top 16 stage with a tremendous turnaround having looked set to taste defeat for the second time after struggling three the opening three periods.

In a game of high tension the nerves were clearly in evidence, but the win kept the Blaugrana in joint first place in Group E alongside Partisan while Panathinaikos are in last place without a victory to their name.

Despite the win very few would disagree that Regal Barça did not play well in this key encounter in the Greek capital as Zeljko Obradovic's team looked set to win for long periods but despite that the triumph left the host outfit with no chance of retaining their crown in the Final Four in Paris later this year.

Poor Start

Ahead of the game Jordi Trias was ruled with flu, but that did not prevent Víctor Sada from battling on to play with a fever. That last minute scare did look to have had an affect on the team early on.

From the first minute Panathinaikos laid out their stall to attack and dominated at either end while Pekovic stood out. An early lead was soon chalked up as the home team raced 19-5 ahead, but Pete Mickael helped Barça keep themselves in the game as the gap was reduced to just four points before the end of the fourth quarter (20-16).

Staying in touch

The Blaugrana produced their best basketball of the game in the second period with Sada and Ricky Rubio helping the team to score some much needed points. Roger Grimau stood out too as he sank two triples to actually put the away team into a 24-31 lead.

That did not last as the Greeks fought back to capitalise on a series of errors by their opponents and a run of seven unanswered points helped them to end the quarter with both sides having scored 17 points each and Panathinaikos maintaining their early advantage.

Renewed confidence

Things did not improve after the half-time break as Regal Barça's defence faced a tough time while the players at the other end ensured that the hosts became clear favourites to record their first win in the Top 16 of the season.

A timeout was required by Pascual as he sought to regroup his team with four minutes of the third quarter remaining. The one positive note was that the Blaugrana were only 11 points behind going into the fourth quarter at 55-44 and that allowed them to regain some hope and seek to start cutting back the difference.

The renewed confidence in the fourth period coincided with Panathinaikos' inability to maintain their form and Pekovic's fifth foul proved to be a key moment in the game.

When the scoreline was level at 64-64 Barça began to race clear in the quarter score and that was quick to affect the overall tally. Rubio set up Lorbek and Navarro and Vázquez came to the fore as the game started to turn.

With moments remaining the Blaugrana saw their hosts' net a triple to move to within a point but Navarro was able to keep his cool from the free throw line to give Barça a win that has pushed them closer to the next stage.