FC Bayern Munich secured an 85-80 road victory over Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade on Friday, March 6, at Belgrade Arena, strengthening its push toward the EuroLeague play-in positions while damaging the Serbian club’s playoff outlook.
The German side improved to 13-17 in the 2025-26 EuroLeague regular season, while Zvezda dropped to 17-13 after a cold shooting night from the perimeter.
Bayern controlled much of the first half with disciplined defense and efficient scoring, building a 16-point lead at 36-20 as the hosts struggled to generate offense.
Crvena Zvezda misfired repeatedly from long range, making just one of its first nine three-point attempts while key shooters Jordan Nwora and Codi Miller-McIntyre combined for only 1-of-11 from beyond the arc.
Neno Dimitrijevic kept Bayern organized on the offensive end during that stretch and finished with 11 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Despite the early deficit, the Belgrade club found momentum before halftime with a 7-0 run that energized the crowd.
Jared Butler capped the surge by hitting a three-pointer at the buzzer, cutting Bayern’s advantage to 50-43 at the break.
The hosts carried that energy into the second half and briefly seized control late in the third quarter.
Crvena Zvezda moved ahead 68-67 and extended the lead to 78-75 in the fourth quarter after tightening its defense and forcing several difficult Bayern possessions.
However, the game shifted again in the closing minutes when Zvezda’s offense stalled.
The Serbian team finished just 6-of-30 from three-point range, a 20 percent mark that limited its scoring options during the final stretch.
Bayern responded with a decisive 10-2 run powered by Xavier Rathan-Mayes and Andi Obst.
Obst led the visitors with 16 points and attacked inside despite shooting 2-of-8 from three-point range.
Rathan-Mayes added 13 points while David McCormack contributed 10 points and four rebounds.
Bayern shot 10-of-28 from three-point range and finished with 21 made two-point field goals, helping maintain scoring efficiency even when the game slowed in the fourth quarter.
Chima Moneke led Crvena Zvezda with 22 points and six rebounds, while Butler and Nwora each scored 10 points.
The victory ended a two-game losing streak for Bayern.
Crvena Zvezda will host Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul next Friday, while Bayern returns home to face Anadolu Efes Istanbul next Thursday.
