EuroLeague Matchday 1 Recap: Two Spanish Wins, Two Losses, and a Historic Return

EuroLeague 2026-27 is underway. Ten games across Thursday and Friday, mixed results for Spanish teams, and several historic debuts: Zeljko Obradovic's return to Panathinaikos, Besiktas's return to competition after thirteen years, and the coaching debuts of Ibon Navarro, Tony Parker, Anton Gavel, and Pedro Martínez.

The Four Spanish Teams

Barça 89-82 Anadolu Efes. The Blaugrana opened with victory after a rough start, carried by the two veterans remaining on the roster: Darío Brizuela posted 20 points and Kevin Punter 19, nearly half the scoring for a team that arrived with eleven new signings.

Besiktas 94-96 Valencia. The tightest game of the matchday. TJ Shorts hit the decisive basket with under a minute remaining and finished as leading scorer with 26 points, while the hosts missed four free throws down the stretch and Jaylen Nowell missed the game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer. Nikola Mirotic made his debut with 13 points.

Dubai 78-77 Real Madrid. Immediate rematch of the SuperCup semifinal, which Madrid had won in overtime seven days earlier. A three-pointer by McKinley Wright in the final minute and a layup by Andrés Feliz that rimmed out at the buzzer turned the game around. Dwayne Bacon posted 24 points.

Baskonia 89-106 Olympiacos. The Vitoria team started strong with a 14-6 run and four consecutive three-pointers, but a 3-10 run to close the first quarter changed everything. Tyler Dorsey and Sasha Vezenkov combined for 47 points and the European champion dominated at Buesa Arena. AJ Lawson led the hosts with 20.

Highlights from the Rest

Panathinaikos 91-72 Paris. Obradovic's return to OAKA fourteen years later and a defensive masterclass: 31 points in the first quarter, nine of ten players used scoring, and Nadir Hifi scoreless in his opening minutes. Sylvain Francisco posted 18 points. All without Nunn, Sloukas, Hayes-Davis, or Fall.

Hapoel Tel Aviv 84-86 Bayern. Anton Gavel's debut on the German bench was as difficult as it gets. Bayern led by eighteen at the 32-minute mark, surrendered a 14-0 run, and had to settle it with a three-pointer by Johannes Voigtmann with 34 seconds left and a steal by Tobias Jensen on the final play. Andreas Obst scored 19 points.

Crvena Zvezda 77-83 Zalgiris. Ibon Navarro's debut ended in defeat in Belgrade. Jonas Valanciunas returned to competition fifteen years later with 13 points, 8 rebounds, and a game-high 24 rating. Chris Jones led the hosts with 15 points and 8 assists.

ASVEL 84-74 Maccabi. Tony Parker's first victory as a coach, and it came after a rough stretch: four losses in four friendlies and elimination in the French Supercup. Maccabi had won ten straight against ASVEL.

Fenerbahce 78-68 Virtus Bologna. Closer than the scoreline suggests. Álex Mumbrú's Italians led 64-63 with six minutes remaining, but Turkish defense took over. Talen Horton-Tucker added 13 points and Braxton Key, arriving from Valencia, made his debut with a double-double.

Partizan 92-76 Olimpia Milano. Matchday closer with a masterclass from Carlik Jones: 20 points and 10 assists, with eight points and eight assists in the first sixteen minutes of the final quarter, right after Milan tied it at 57.

Standings After Matchday 1

1-0: Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, Partizan, Zalgiris, Valencia Basket, Barça, Fenerbahce, ASVEL, Bayern Munich, and Dubai Basketball

0-1: Baskonia, Paris Basketball, Olimpia Milano, Crvena Zvezda, Besiktas, Anadolu Efes, Virtus Bologna, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Hapoel Tel Aviv, and Real Madrid