After stumbling out of the gate against Hapoel Tel Aviv, Barcelona managed to turn things around quickly, securing their first win of the season with a strong showing against Panathinaikos.
The performance marked a much-needed response from the Catalan side, who looked sharper and more composed. Toko Shengelia played a leading role, finishing with 17 points and 5 rebounds to guide his team back on track.
“If I had to find an explanation: we had to react positively. We lost a tough game against Hapoel. We understand that it’s the beginning of the season, and we understand that it’s a brand new team, so we need time to adjust to each other. But we have a lot of experience, and I believe that’s one of our biggest strengths; we rely on it today, and we got the win,” Shengelia reflected after the game.
Their victory carried even more weight given the opponent. Panathinaikos is viewed as one of the prime contenders to reach the Final Four this season, and while Barcelona will also be aiming for that goal, Shengelia cautioned against drawing conclusions too soon.
“It’s too early to talk about predictions, we have seen that the season is very long, it’s just the second game … Win or lose today, we will still go out and fight for another win in the next game; nothing changes for us. It’s 1-1 on the scoreboard, but our approach never changes. Win or lose, we are going to fight as much as we can. It’s too early to talk about predictions for the whole season.”
“We had to react in a positive way”
Toko Shengelia talked to Eurohoops and explained how Barcelona bounced back after losing in opening nighthttps://t.co/KsIGNKZw22
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) October 4, 2025
