FC Barcelona v Bayern Munich: Winning start (83-81)

Barça had a tough start to their Euroleague campaign against a strong Bayern Munich side who also have their eyes on the Final Four. With Svetislav Pesic back at the Palau Blaugrana, the Germans made life very difficult for Barcelona, but a terrific display by MVP Tomic and threes from Oleson made the difference in the end.

Tight start

It was never going to be an easy game. Early on, Bayern were strong on offence and dominated the rebounds to keep in contention until Oleson generated the first meaningful lead for FCB (15-9). But a 2-10 streak soon had the Germans back on level terms (19-19).

The second period saw Bayern advance for the first time in the game (25-28) but a series of three pointers from Navarro (2) and Nachbar re-established the home side’s lead on 37-31. But whenever Barça hit, Bayern hit back, and a buzzer-beater from Djedovic meant the first half ended 44-43.

Scoring runs

Barça were caught off their guard after the break and Bayern edged ahead (46-50) but two rapid turnovers from Abrines soon got the sides level again. It was turning out to be a spectacular encounter, but with Navarro conducting the orchestra, Barça managed to finish period three with five points between them and their rival (64-59).

Touch of authority

Thankfully, Barça saved their best for last. In a late offensive flurry, Nachbar set up the biggest lead yet of nine points (68-59), and threes from Oleson and Marcelinho looked to have secured the win. However, two threes at the other end for Bayern set things up for a gripping finale, in which Barça managed to hang on to start their Euroleague campaign with a vital win at the Palau Blaugrana.