In front of a roaring crowd at Salle Gaston Médecin, AS Monaco Basket edged out FC Barcelona in a nail-biting 85-84 victory to secure a place in the EuroLeague Final Four for only the second time in club history. The next stop: Abu Dhabi.
It was a night to remember on Tuesday 6th May for Monegasque basketball fans as AS Monaco pulled off a dramatic Game 5 win against European giants FC Barcelona. With the best-of-five series tied at two apiece, everything came down to this decisive clash at home, where the atmosphere was electric and the stakes could not have been higher. A ferocious defensive stand in the dying seconds, capped by Georgios Papagiannis contesting the final shot from Barcelona’s Punter, sealed a one-point win and a ticket to Abu Dhabi.
The 5,000-capacity Salle Gaston Médecin was sold out and seething with energy, evoking memories of Monaco’s past European exploits against Fenerbahçe and Maccabi Tel Aviv. In a game that swung with every quarter (15-19, 30-20, 20-23, 20-22), Monaco found its rhythm in the second frame and held strong against a late Catalan resurgence. Mike James and his teammates showed grit, resilience, and mental fortitude in a high-pressure contest that tested both squads to their limits.
“We wanted to make it tough for Barcelona,” said the Monaco captain after the game. “They’re a great team, and they really pushed us. After the first two wins, maybe people saw us in the Final Four already—and subconsciously, maybe we did too. But tonight, we did what we had to do. Now it’s time to go there and try to win. We’ll give everything for 40 minutes.”
With the win, Monaco returns to the EuroLeague Final Four two years after its first appearance. The team will face Olympiakos in the semi-finals on Friday 23rd May at 22:00 local time (20:00 in Monaco), a rematch of their previous showdown on Europe’s biggest basketball stage.
Coach Vassilis Spanoulis praised his squad’s unity and resolve. “I’m proud of my players and staff. Everyone put in a huge performance, full of heart. We expected a tough match—Barcelona came to fight—and we were ready. Georgios [Papagiannis] was excellent under the basket, but tonight was all about the team. Reaching the Final Four was a key goal for the club. Now that we’re there, we’re going to try to win it. Each team has a 25% chance. Us included.”
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Photo credit: Stephane Dana, Government Communication Department