Anadolu Efes Istanbul claimed a convincing 100-76 victory over Zenit St Petersburg in the VTB SuperCup on Thursday, a result that immediately shifted expectations for both sides. The Turkish club made no mistakes in the opening fixture, while the Russian hosts found themselves on the wrong side of a scoreline they had predicted to go their way.
And here's the thing about Zenit's recent form — three losses on the bounce against Lokomotiv Kuban, and then a narrow defeat to UNICS Kazan just a day before this match. They had kept their heads through a tough stretch, but this fixture exposed something different. The high line was picked apart, and there was no response when Efes took control.
The visitors arrived with a mixed record against Fenerbahçe earlier this summer, losing three of five encounters, but they have kept their heads through those defeats. Against Zenit, they raised the tempo when they needed to and made the difference. The scoreline reflected a match Efes decided to play on their terms from the opening minutes.
To be fair, we had backed the hosts at 82 per cent confidence, but the game went another way entirely. What shifted it was Zenit's inability to match Efes' pace in transition, and the visitors' willingness to push the ball. By then, the momentum had already tipped.
The standings now show Efes leading with 2 points from 1 game, while Zenit sit second with 0 points after 2 games. Cup football has its own rules, and this result means the Turkish side hold the advantage in the group race. It will make life awkward for Zenit if they cannot respond.
