The visiting team’s forward produced a flawless performance in a cracking atmosphere in Belgrade
Zach LeDay comes up big as Milan cruises to smooth win at Crvena Zvezda
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Regular Season
Round 1 of 38
Regular Season
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet BelgradeCZV
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EA7 Emporio Armani MilanEA7
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EA7 Emporio Armani Milan leaned on Zach LeDay to make a good start in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague this term with a fine display at Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, as the Italian outfit celebrated an 82-92 win in the Serbian capital on the opening night of the season.
LeDay shot 7 of 11 from the floor and 6 of 7 from the line to rack up 21 points and 5 boards, helping the visitors to a perfect start with their sixth successive road win over Zvezda and their ninth in the last 10 meetings with the Serbian side.
The 31-year-old drew on his vast experience, notably against Zvezda as he produced yet another vintage performance against a rival he is all too familiar with. LeDay fought countless battles with Zvezda during a 2021-2024 stint with bitter city foes Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in Europe as well as in the regional ABA League, where the two teams engage in a perennial battle for supremacy.
Jibed and taunted by a vocal home crowd throughout, the unfazed LeDay held his nerve from start to finish and stood tall at both ends of the court whenever Zvezda threatened to turn the tide.
“It’s a blessing to come to this tough and hostile environment and get a big with a great group of guys,” LeDay said in a flash courtside interview after putting Zvezda to the sword. “We are a brand-new team, we’ll take it day by day and just keep going. Belgrade is like a second home to me so it’s always good to be back in the gym. I called this place home for three years.”
LeDay’s effort was complemented by Josh Nebo, who celebrated his return to action after being sidelined by a year-long injury as he racked up 12 points and five boards, as well as by a fine effort from Shavon Shields, who netted 13 points including eight in the first quarter.
Shields produced an effective performance as he shot 5 of 8 from the floor and picked up 4 rebounds, managing 2 assists and a steal to make sure Milan stayed in front pretty much throughout the contest as he helped the visiting team carve out an early 20-22 advantage.
“I am super happy,” said Shields. “I am proud of everybody in the locker room, we knew it wasn’t going to be easy but we stuck together in some of the tough moments and got it done. We made shots and everybody stepped up at different moments.”
Milan head coach Ettore Messina was pleased with his team’s effort. “We made the right decisions with the right players at crucial moments,” he said. “The ball was always in the right hands and you’ve got to have that kind of discipline if you’re going to have a good season. Everybody contributed and that will help us build some more chemistry,” added Messina, who was given a perfect 66th birthday gift by his players.
His counterpart Ioannis Sfairopoulos had little to cheer about. “We were not tough defensively and we lost a lot of one-on-one battles,” said the Greek tactician. “Just as we found our way back into the game, they scored two tough shots to build a six-point lead and that restored their confidence.”
Milan’s visit to Belgrade continues with Thursday’s matchup against Partizan in Round 2 while Zvezda faces a tough outing at Bayern Munich in a rematch of last season’s Play-In Showdown, when the German side prevailed on home court.