Chus Mateo’s men will defend the Euroleague title against Panathinaikos after shining in the semifinals
MADRID, 24 (EUROPA PRESS)
Real Madrid overwhelmed Olympiacos (87-76) this Friday in an all-white Euroleague semi-final, a blow to the reigning champion’s table to avoid the Greek revenge for last year’s final and advance for the third consecutive edition to the fight for the title of the highest continental competition.
Chus Mateo’s men shone in the first half and withstood the rival reaction in the third quarter. Madrid had a peaceful outcome to meet Panathinaikos in search of its twelfth European Cup in Sunday’s final at the Uber Arena in Berlin.
Mario Hezonja’s starting triples, the scoring of Dzanan Musa, who finished with 20 points, and the quality of Facu Campazzo and Edy Tavares made the difference, but also Sergio Rodríguez or Sergio Llull, last year’s executioner at the horn of the from Piraeus, players who always sign up for the big games.
The champion’s debut was unbeatable, a first part to frame. From Hezonja’s triples, six for the whites in the first quarter, and Campazzo’s intensity, to a Tavares who had no rival. Madrid bit and commanded inside and out, with both teams scoring 42 to 1 after 10 minutes.
With Ndiaye’s letter, Chus Mateo brought out a team very involved and plugged into the task of avoiding Greek revenge and repeating the final. In the whites everyone really added, although Mateo withstood his heavy weights in a state of grace, and they pressed in defense. The rebound was also from Madrid, more options to continue increasing the income, although in the second quarter Canaan and McKissic kept the Greek thread of life, increasingly finer that is.
Petrusev also appeared, but Madrid’s rotation did not take long to add integers to increase the income. Sergio Rodríguez and Vincent Poirier made their connection shine, Causeur, Llull, the champion went 25 points ahead (54-29). Georgios Bartzokas’ men caught the locker room, forced into a total reaction and, although they undoubtedly went to work, there was no miracle to derail the white train.
The Piraeus team found some of its famous defense, also woke up its fans somewhat and, with a partial score of 2-14, changed the script of the semifinal. Olympiacos came within nine points, with former Madrid player Williams-Goss and Alec Peters, who finished as his team’s top scorer with 23 points, giving some excitement to the reissue of the last final.
However, the effort took its toll and the Greek trump card died far from the shore. Between Musa, Llull, ‘Chacho’ or a Hezonja who stopped Peters, the company became complicated again for Bartzokas’ men, with a Fall inoperative against Tavares despite the fact that the Cape Verdean could not finish due to fouls. Campazzo signed the last defenses with which Madrid tied another final, seeking to repeat the title as the white team did for the last time in 1968.
DATASHEET.
–RESULT: REAL MADRID, 87 – OLYMPIACOS, 76. (56-37, at halftime).
–EQUIPMENT.
Real Madrid: Campazzo (3), Musa (20), Hezonja (12), Ndiaye (-) and Tavares (9) – Llull (9), Abalde (-), Poirier (11), Causeur (11) 4), R. Fernandez (-), S. Rodriguez (8), Yabusele (11).
OLYMPICS: Walkup (4), Canaan (7), Papanikolaou (3), Peters (23) and Fall (2) — starting quintet–; Williams-Goss (15), Wright (-), Larentzakis (-), Petrusev (5), Milutinov (-), McKissic (17).
–PARTIALS: 28-10, 28-27, 15-21, 16-18.
–REFEREES: Radovic, Javor and Mogulkoc. Tavares eliminated due to fouls.
–PAVILLION: Uber Arena in Berlin.