Vlado Jankovic on Sportish: “We said goodbye to Mimi Papaioannou with a win, we couldn’t lose in such an atmosphere”

On a heavy night because of the death of Mimi PapaioannouAEK showed character against the bigger budget Galatasaray, winning won 92-78, sealing qualification for the Quarterfinals of the Basketball Champions League.

Interview with Stefanos Makris

Among the top players of AEK in the game was Wlado YankovitS. The former international forward put his foot down on both sides of the court and finished the game with 14 points, 7 rebounds but also a great defense against McGee and Ennis which contributed most to this result.

A few moments after the game, he spoke to Sportish about the importance of qualifying for AEK, it said on the injuries to Giannis Strelnieks and Kenny Williams and stood by the world.

We said goodbye to Mimi Papaioannou with a win

Now that the pulses had dropped, Jankovic began referring to the Strelnieks and Williams and talking about how everyone was trying so hard. “Before I say anything about the game, I would first like to address the injuries suffered by the two children. The extra effort that we all made unfortunately had its price, as we had two defeats. I hope both Strelnieks and Williams aren’t serious“.

Regarding the atmosphere in the crowded Ano Liosion stadium, the veteran striker stressed: “You don’t lose in this atmosphere. You just can’t lose. Thank you to the people who came and supported the team.

The fact that the stadium was full played a big role in pushing us to victory. We hope to have him by our side again in the future so we can go as far as we can“.

While the conversation logically turned to the tense atmosphere following the death of Mimi Papaioannou, Vlado Jankovic reflected on how everyone on and off the pitch gave their all for the Union legend: “It was a difficult day for the AEK organization due to the loss of Mimi Papaioannou. But we said goodbye to him with a win, with a great effort from all of us“.

This qualification gives everyone a boost

Regarding the game against Galatasaray, Jankovic emphasized: “Certainly Galata are a very good team with good players and a very good coach. They have performances at the highest level. But the seriousness and maturity we showed when they got close to the score or in the lead played a part in our win.

What matters is the win. It is collective and not individual. Everyone deserves congratulations for both the result and the way we played. We played with passion and thank the people again. It matters that the stadium is full“.

Finally, it could not go unmentioned that after a nightmarish season last year, AEK has now shown that it is slowly returning to the highest level, which Vladimir Jankovic emphasized at the end of his statements:

“AEK has had a difficult time in recent years. The qualification will definitely give us and the team world a boost. I believe the world should support us like today and… let’s go for more“.