Our representative, Frutti Extra Bursaspor, scored one of the biggest surprises of the year in European basketball, beating Partizan, one of the favorites of the tournament, in the last 16 games of 7DAYS EuroCup, after overtime, by 95-103.
Partizan head coach Zeljko Obradovic, who expressed his feelings with the disappointment of not meeting the expectations after the match, used the following statements:
I would like to congratulate Bursa on their victory. This was a one-game elimination system. I’m sorry on behalf of my players and fans. I take full responsibility for the defeat. I don’t want to go into details about the interior. We had a chance to finish the match easily, but we couldn’t. I take responsibility for everything that happens in the match. I’m the experienced one, so the responsibility falls on me.
The 62-year-old experienced coach avoided going into details about the end of the match or targeting any of his players.
Somehow it happened, it was bad for us. I can analyze for you, but I do not want to go into details. We wasted a year. I came here with very big goals. We knew it was only one match, we tried to prepare in the best way possible. I always stand behind my players. I always argue that I have a great team, but tonight that wasn’t enough. One of the worst defeats of my career. Everything was good during the season except for the Serbian Cup Final. I know how dedicated the owner of the club, the sports directors, the professional team and the players are. I went to the locker room and I didn’t even know what to do. There was no preparation in my head that it would end like this. Playoffs are underway in ABA, it’s time to learn and prepare for it.
“WHEN I LEAVE, THERE IS NO PROBLEM”
Obradovic also questioned his future in the Serbian team and continued:
I came here for 3 years. If the team is not satisfied with my work, I can quit if there is someone better. Not a problem for me. It’s tough yes, but such is life. If I’m the problem, when I leave, there’s no problem. After fighting 18 games, it’s just one game. It’s not fair but this adjustment was made last summer, we were all aware of the home advantage. Bursa deserved to win. Basketball is an unpredictable game. What happened tonight is proof of that.