It was far from pretty, but Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade pulled out a valuable 74-68 win over the visiting FC Bayern Munich on Thursday night.
Zvezda showed character in comeback over Bayern
Article
3 Mins read
Zvezda struggled a lot during the course of the game, and was down for most of the night, including 38-52 midway through the third quarter. The team was just 4-for-21 from downtown through three quarters after missing a series open looks, and even layups. What made the situation worse, Zvezda was at home and trying to end a four-game losing streak, but its 18,000-plus fans at Stark Arena were left unusually subdued by all the blown chances and false starts.
Regular Season
Round 6 of 34
Regular Season
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet BelgradeCZV
7468
FC Bayern MunichBAY
Overview
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What Zvezda didn't do, however, was stop fighting.
"The win belongs to the players because they gave their hearts on the court, especially in the second half, to overcome our nervousness," head coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos said after the game. "We really wanted to win."
Zvezda used a 10-0 run late in third quarter to make it 53-59 entering the fourth, which it opened with a 12-1 spurt while denying Bayern any field goals for more than 5 minutes.
That's when big shots came. First, a triple by Milos Teodosic fell with 3:15 to play to make it 68-64. After Bayern tied it again, Teodosic served his 11th assist of the night for Yago Dos Santos, whose shot from 8 meters out made it 72-68 with 19.1 seconds to go. With that, Zvezda was in the clear, the losing streak was snapped and Sfairopoulos had his first EuroLeague victory with his new team.
Game Videos
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Virtus Bologna-Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade | Round 24 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
- 00:14
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/e66df000-a683-40bc-92ec-a7a36716c4d7.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A135%3A146]()
Moneke's fastbreak dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:13
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/6a265695-a2d1-46c9-8cf0-d23f7d725c76.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A110%3A111]()
Butler finds Ojeleye! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/tu-yac8ipjg/maxresdefault.jpg]()
FC Bayern Munich-Valencia Basket | Round 24 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
- 00:15
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/10375c25-a0a2-4299-8577-2a30bbcfc1e0.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A186%3A30]()
Dimitrijevic finds Lucic! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:29
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/c6a86706-da39-4475-b93e-39c26ff1c54e.jpg?crop=808%3A455%3Anowe%3A124%3A121]()
Isiaha Mike's alley-oop dunk! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/e8128fb7-ff90-4023-83c7-fde8dbf52155.jpg?crop=733%3A412%3Anowe%3A406%3A52]()
Bayern turns defense into offense! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/OEF1CGEXzf4/maxresdefault.jpg]()
FC Bayern Munich-Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade | Round 23 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/965d5505-d330-46b7-ba6c-8a38908ba333.jpg?crop=962%3A541%3Anowe%3A251%3A40]()
Dimitrijevic sets up Gabriel's fastbreak slam! Motorola Magic Moment
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AS Monaco-Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade | Round 23 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
- 00:12
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Jessup feeds McCormack! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:22
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Moneke races across to block Mirotic! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:22
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Yago, Izundu combine for the alley-oop! Motorola Magic Moment
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EA7 Emporio Armani Milan-Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade | Round 22 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/OwGnnTufG0s/maxresdefault.jpg]()
FC Bayern Munich-Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens | Round 22 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
- 00:13
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/f1b38836-f229-4e55-92a5-77d72a8c5c9c.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A270%3A215]()
Obst drains the dagger! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/bb42692d-5668-4097-a287-e35e79033616.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A207%3A99]()
Gabriel finishes the alley-oop in style! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/a7969c3c-515f-4c59-aefe-e6dfccdfc099.jpg?crop=1920%3A1080%3Anowe%3A0%3A0]()
Olympiacos Piraeus-FC Bayern Munich | Round 21 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/dbb6233d-8827-42d1-aab8-2e67ceabd2d7.jpg?crop=1920%3A1080%3Anowe%3A0%3A0]()
Zalgiris Kaunas-Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade | Round 21 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/e3a58925-134a-46f3-9aa1-3476dc5d2be5.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A135%3A143]()
McCormack with the acrobatic slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:07
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/68177f2c-6395-4353-a8f4-ce3aa719f4cb.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A135%3A122]()
Gabriel dunks off Jessup’s alley-oop dish! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:24
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/455f276e-d1e4-4da1-a219-0f6277943fa8.jpg?crop=881%3A496%3Anowe%3A300%3A18]()
Ojeleye's big block! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/Tkibgdsw1Kg/maxresdefault.jpg]()
FC Bayern Munich-Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz | Round 20 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
- 00:22
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Gabriel on the fly! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/049f4b73-5570-4ee0-985e-878d3df76963.jpg?crop=1920%3A1080%3Anowe%3A0%3A0]()
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade-Valencia Basket | Round 20 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/sanv5sfi_P8/maxresdefault.jpg]()
FC Bayern Munich-Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv | Round 19 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/cb2tUZ__y7M/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Anadolu Efes Istanbul-Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade | Round 19 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/c1Wwol1r3SI/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Paris Basketball-Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade | Round 18 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/3pdKSJU9Ah8/maxresdefault.jpg]()
FC Bayern Munich-Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv | Round 18 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/d46183d0-f6d4-4434-a736-5491eea7745a.jpg?crop=1920%3A1080%3Anowe%3A0%3A0]()
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade-Virtus Bologna | Round 17 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/SXhCCKcyi_s/maxresdefault.jpg]()
AS Monaco-FC Bayern Munich | Round 17 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/_LdeJ4niFrw/maxresdefault.jpg]()
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne-FC Bayern Munich | Round 16 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/68177f2c-6395-4353-a8f4-ce3aa719f4cb.jpg?crop=1157%3A651%3Anowe%3A91%3A87]()
Wenyen Gabriel skies for the alley-oop slam! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/RALza5eNqJ8/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv-Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade | Round 16 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/a2a11ed6-2921-4f49-8afc-b79dc17ab22c.jpg?crop=792%3A445%3Anowe%3A251%3A0]()
Ebuka Izundu converts the alley-oop! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:13
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/6d8d03dc-6469-4ec1-a750-400419a700f5.jpg?crop=800%3A450%3Anowe%3A52%3A144]()
Jared Butler beats the first-quarter buzzer! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/1Hyo3rd1Hp4/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade-Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade | Round 15 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/7fQSAOwdZUA/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Dubai Basketball-FC Bayern Munich | Round 15 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/Y7x9FvzfmiU/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Classic Game: Partizan vs. Crvena Zvezda
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/tO3nE30UaDY/maxresdefault.jpg]()
EuroLeague & Friends Global with Bogdan Bogdanovic on the Serbian Derby’s CRAZY Atmosphere
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/HgGwOquPa0g/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade-FC Barcelona | Round 14 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
- 00:15
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/60efc921-fc44-4742-8912-7a4843e95852.jpg?crop=1284%3A722%3Anowe%3A0%3A53]()
Motiejunas helps Zvezda run with nifty pass! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/55c9d16c-4a61-415b-80e6-e09716dbcced.jpg]()
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade-FC Bayern Munich | Round 14 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/rqZNcsbt890/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade-Olympiacos Piraeus | Round 13 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
- 00:16
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/fe203c83-8135-41c4-a6b9-6a22734a1a9e.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A113%3A25]()
Moneke soars! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:17
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2025/11/26/Kc65VA178ncXLKzay83vjKgAQ4kRODRc-1764186838218.jpg]()
Kalinic does it all! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:16
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/d221dd49-f4ba-4773-8ff3-555f5bb96c4a.jpg?crop=597%3A336%3Anowe%3A323%3A195]()
Jordan Nwora hammers it home! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:16
![https://media-cdn.cortextech.io/f4ab5741-1233-473d-a77e-2ccc02d0a055.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A144%3A32]()
Kalinic banks it in to beat the shot clock! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/tq6_DRCrkS0/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Valencia Basket-FC Bayern Munich | Round 13 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/dIMLYV34-3M/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Valencia Basket-Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade | Round 12 Highlights | 2025-26 EuroLeague
"This win is for the new coach," Yago said after celebrating with the fans.
"We needed this. Everyone is happy now, everyone will now have more confidence. It is important for the club and for the fans."
The victory was a relief, too, coming as it did after back-to-back losses against archrival Partizan, one in the EuroLeague and the other in domestic league action.
"In the end, the players showed character and this is very important to me," Sfairopoulos said.
"I think we needed this win for psychological reasons. We need to calm down and play better basketball. Because we can play much better basketball."
With FC Barcelona, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and Olympiacos Piraeus as Zvezda's next three opponents, the team will must find a way to do that. However, this win was a start, especially in terms of resilience and character.
