Iffe Lundberg and Tornike Shengelia have a lot in common, and they showed last night why Virtus is a EuroLeague playoff team.
The Dane and the Georgian are leaders of their national teams in these qualifiers, but that’s a general observation. What they demonstrated last night in the Danish town of Naestved was very impressive.
Let’s start with the hosts. Honestly, Denmark is not a basketball powerhouse and cannot boast many talents, but one player with Nigerian roots stands out completely. He played all 40 minutes in this match and led his team to a significant victory.
Let’s be honest, he shot 5/16 from the field, but simply put, without him, the Danes wouldn’t even dream of a win in this game, let alone against a stronger opponent. Simply said, Iffe Lundberg did everything a player could do last night. He scored 19 points, grabbed four rebounds, and dished out seven assists (PIR 17). A complete performance, topped off with a celebration with his son after the match.
We shouldn’t forget about Tornike Shengelia either. The Georgian played an outstanding game but couldn’t single-handedly lead the team to a win. He scored 27 points, but nobody else followed suit. Joe Thomasson had 16 points, but no one else on Aleksandar Dzikic’s team could assist the EuroLeague MVP contender. In the end, this cost them the win.
All in all, Virtus showed during the international break why they are currently where they are. Smart selection and faith in players who were largely on the sidelines have brought them a lot of success. They showed they can take responsibility in their national teams as well, and time will tell who will lead their country to the EuroBasket.