Federica Pellegrini backs Venice against Milan: “We’ll fight it out until the very end”
Federica Pellegrini also went to the PalaTaliercio to cheer on Reyer Venezia on Tuesday evening, when the orange-and-gold team faced Olimpia Milano in Game 3 of the championship series. And the queen of swimming shared her thoughts with ‘Sky Sport’: “It’s a great game. We’re fighting it out until the very end. So I’m happy. I’m having a lot of fun. I really love those final spurts. It’s a strange series, though. No one expected us to be here, but here we are. So we’re going to fight it out until the very end.” Then, on the difference between cheering at a basketball game and cheering at a swimming meet: “I understand that in a game played on land, obviously, this background noise gives you an incredible boost.”
The matchup at the Taliercio came with Venice trailing 0-2 in the series against Milan’s red-and-whites, who thus had their first match point on the line. On the eve of the game, Coach Neven Spahija fired up his team with clear and direct words: “After the two tough losses in Milan, we had a chance to rest and regain some energy. We’re approaching this Game 3 with our usual philosophy: in sports, you can lose, but the important thing is to understand why. In the first two games, we lacked energy and fell short in terms of aggressiveness—a fundamental aspect we absolutely must improve on.”
The Croatian coach made no secret of his opponent’s caliber, openly acknowledging Olimpia’s strength: “When you play against a team of Milan’s caliber, you have to be ready to always give a little more of yourself—never less—if you want to win. They’re playing at an extremely high level right now; they’re strong and have depth, but that doesn’t change what we need to do on the court.” Spahija then took a moment to thank the Venetian fans, emphasizing just how much home-court advantage can make a difference: “Now we’re playing at home, in front of our fans who have always helped us so much. I want to sincerely thank the people who made the trip all the way to Milan and who never gave up from the first minute to the last.”
Meanwhile, the transfer market continues to buzz around the two finalists. At Olimpia Milano, one of the hottest names is Jason Burnell, who has officially parted ways with Germani Brescia after three seasons. The blue-and-white club thanked him with an official statement, and the American forward’s future seems all but set: the Milanese red-and-whites are in pole position to secure his services for the upcoming EuroLeague season, with Virtus Bologna remaining in the background as a less likely alternative.
