Moskovsky Komsomolets: "Putin didn't lose the game"
Ilona KORSTIN - MK: "This was not our first meeting"
The appearance of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin at a Euroleague round 8 basketball game at CSKA sports centre did not bring success to the army team: as the game with Real Madrid was drawing to a close, the team seemed to lose its drive and was defeated by its main rival for first place in the group: 78-82.
Ettore Messina, the head coach of the Russian club, blamed the defeat on the players: "Putin didn't lose, he didn't drop a catch." Incidentally, the Prime Minister watched the game with Ilona Korstin, the captain of the national women's team, nominated for the best 2008 Russia player (the results were announced at the Golden Basket award ceremony last night).
This was how she herself described her sensations for MK: "I was excited: it was a great honour to watch the game sitting next to Putin - few people are that lucky. Naturally, we talked about the course of the game and basketball generally. Based on the questions the Prime Minister asked me, I understood that Mr Putin knew about my sports career. It was our second meeting. We first met when CSKA was celebrating its 85th anniversary ... "
