MADRID (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Russia managed to pull off a remarkable comeback and stun the United States in the last four of the 1998 FIBA World Championship but Zeljko Rebraca and Yugoslavia were the team to leave Athens with the gold medal.

In a true spectacle, fans were treated to the closest of Finals between two great basketball nations.

The Russians, led by coach Sergei Belov, had shocked the United States in the Semi-Finals when Sergey Panov dribbled the ball the length of the floor in the last seconds and made a lay-up for a 66-64 triumph.

The 2.03m Panov was poised to be the hero of the Championship Game after his basket in traffic lifted Russia into a 56-55 advantage with 1:08 to go.

After a timeout, Russia's Evgeny Kisurin was called for a block on Aleksander Djordjevic just past half court and the point guard sank two free-throws to put the Yugoslavians back in front.

The 26-year-old Rebraca then slammed the door shut on the Russians.

The 2.11m center leapt high and rejected Mikhail Mikhailov as he attempted to dunk.

At the other end, Rebraca rebounded a missed free-throw by Milenko Topic and scored on the follow-up to stretch the Yugoslavia advantage to 60-56 with just 20 seconds remaining.

Yugoslavia held on for a 64-62 victory.

Rebraca, who in 2001 left Europe and signed a contract with the Detroit Pistons, had 16 points and 11 rebounds.

He left a major imprint on the tournament because in the 78-73 Semi-Final victory over hosts Greece, the giant center had 20 points and 13 rebounds.

Yugoslavia teamed with talent in Athens.

They had Djordjevic, who drew the curtain on his international career in 1998.

There was also Dejan Bodiroga who was starting to grow into a leader.

At 25, the 2.03m Bodiroga caused match-up problems for opponents because of his ball-handling, and passing ability.

The Serbian led the Yugoslavians in scoring at 14.7 points per game in Athens and was also their leading assists man (2.2apg).

He finished with 11 points, five rebounds and two assists in the title game.

There was the suggestion that Yugoslavia's title triumph didn't have the shine it might have since the United States had not sent their NBA players due to the lockout.

The Yugoslavians removed any doubts about their quality, though, four years later when they travelled to Indianapolis and beat the USA in the Quarter-Finals of the FIBA World Championship.

They captured gold for the second time in a row with a thrilling overtime win against Argentina.

FIBA