The SuperCup 2025 has begun! On Wednesday, Belgrade Arena hosted 2 Semifinal games – here are the highlights.
Belgrade
The road from Nikola Tesla Airport to the center of Belgrade is decorated with Russian and Serbian flags – this is how the participants of the VTB United League SuperCup are welcomed. At the airport itself, girls in national costumes with bread and salt were waiting for the players of all four teams.
The fifth SuperCup in history is being held outside Moscow for the first time, but the organizers have made every effort to make the Russians feel at home.
Warm-up
The opening ceremony was the most spectacular and fiery event in every sense. The organizers placed barely noticeable flame generators between the benches and the press box. The lights in the arena went out, loud music started playing, and something icy was shown on the screen. And then it happened.
When the cannons went off, everything around was burning – at least the players had been moved away. Media representatives had time to experience the full power of the blazing creativity. It was 30 degrees outside in the Serbian capital, and the SuperCup was also heated up nicely.
CSKA passed the Euroleague test
The SuperCup semifinal opener was the first VTB League game in Europe in 3.5 years. CSKA clearly missed this vibe and came out with a super attitude – Livio Jean-Charles slam, Ivan Ukhov three-pointer, and a 14:2 run. The first quarter ended with Melo Trimble buzzer-beater – 30:19.
Despite the middle of the week, the early start, and Zvezda football game in the Champions League, the arena was about two-thirds full. In the second quarter, the crowd began to have an impact: several controversial episodes got the fans and Serbian players worked up, and a couple of times it almost came to blows – the Russian club found itself back in the Euroleague atmosphere.
The hosts were fired up in the middle of the quarter and cut the deficit to 2 points, but CSKA still remembers how to survive under such pressure. The Moscow team were led by Casper Ware, Jean-Charles got involved again. The guests had an 8-point lead by halftime.
During the break, Sfairopoulos adjusted the team’s defensive intensity, and Miller-McIntyre led Crvena Zvezda offense – the Serbs continued to push with fans support and even briefly tied the score. That’s when the turning point came: poor shooting percentage (2 of 21 after 30 minutes) prevented the hosts from doing more – all that crazy energy ultimately went nowhere. CSKA quickly regained control and ended the quarter with a 17-8 run.
In the first minute and a half of the final quarter, Ivan Ukhov scored 6 points in a row, after which Crvena Zvezda silenced – what happened on the court before the final buzzer reminded us that this was still a preseason tournament, not the Euroleague.
Attendance
The game between Crvena Zvezda and CSKA was attended by 12,365 fans.
Zenit came back from a 19-point deficit to secure an all-Russian final
In the game between two teams that underwent significant changes over the summer, it became clear which one was closer to reaching its full potential. The game also marked the official debuts of Andre Robertson, Nenad Dimitrijevic, and Dzanan Musa. In the first half, the Euroleague and SuperCup newcomers looked like the more prepared and focused team. Robertson scored the first points of the game, but that was all he did and he was not memorable thereafter. Dimitrijevic only managed 2 of 6 from the field. Musa shone: 19+3+5 with 5 of 8 from the field. Reigning League MVP Dwayne Bacon added 9 points, including a three-pointer at the buzzer – 54:44.
The third quarter started in the worst possible way for Zenit, with 3 consecutive long-range shots by Kosta Kondic in 2 minutes and a 17-point deficit (Musa soon made it 19 points). In mid-September, the St. Petersburg team lost to Maccabi Tel Aviv 77-102 in Belgrade. But the team worked on mistakes, and history did not repeat itself. Zenit came to their senses after 6 consecutive points from Alex Poythress. Kondic continued to score, but soon the Russian team remembered its identity from the Pascual era and tightened up its game, while Dimitrijevic finally made his mark on the opposing half (13 points in the third quarter). Zenit transformed mentally and began to catch up with the opponent, who had lost all the momentum – the ending.
In the decisive possessions, Andrey Vorontsevich and Frazier reminded us of Sam Cassell, coolly scoring three-pointers, while Dubai’s leaders faltered. Klemen Prepelic missed a long-range shot, and Musa lost the ball with 8 seconds left on the clock and his team down by 2. Zenit finally reached Euroleague level and secured a Russian final in Belgrade.
Record
The second Semifinal set 3 records in scoring. Zenit 107 points were the highest in SuperCup history (previously 105). The total of 210 points was also a tournament record.
No two teams had ever scored 100 points in a SuperCup game before.
Guests
Russian legends Timofey Mozgov and Sergey Bykov, national team head coach Zoran Lukic, renowned agent Misko Raznatovic, former player and now popular podcaster Mile Ilic, and Europe’s most successful coach Zeljko Obradovic were spotted in the VIP stands.
Russian classics in the final
Zenit forward Dmitriy Uzinsky on the main outcome of the first day of the SuperCup:
“Russian teams playing the final abroad is cool. It will be interesting. It’s great that two VTB United League teams knocked out Euroleague teams with almost optimal lineups.
Crvena Zvezda (Serbia) vs CSKA (Russia) – 67:89 (19:30, 20:17, 16:17, 12:25)
Crvena Zvezda: Tyson Carter (12)
CSKA: Melo Trimble (19), Livio Jean-Charles (16 + 7 rebounds), Ivan Ukhov (14 + 6 rebounds), Casper Ware (14)
Zenit (Russia) vs Dubai (UAE) – 107:103 (19:24, 25:30, 28:29, 35:20)
Zenit: Alex Poytrees (25 + 6 rebounds), Nenad Dimitrijevic (23 + 8 assists), Trent Frazier (22 + 5 assists), Andrey Vorontsevich (11)
Dubai: Dzanan Musa (25 + 7 assists), Kosta Kondic (22), Dwayne Bacon (21)
Day 2 Schedule
Third place game
17:00 (18:00 Moscow time) Dubai vs Crvena Zvezda
Final
20:00 (21:00 Moscow time) Zenit vs CSKA.
