Real Madrid succumbs in Piraeus and gives up European leadership
The good defense of Olympiacos causes the lowest score for the Whites in the entire Euroleague
MADRID, 20 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Real Madrid could not win this Friday’s duel against Olympiacos on matchday twenty of the 2022-2023 Euroleague Regular Phase after being defeated 73-60 at the Piraeus Peace and Friendship Pavilion, after a Bad game for the Whites who gave up the lead in favor of a great Hellenic team.
Chus Mateo’s men, who arrived at this key match after chaining five consecutive victories, were not able to stop the onslaught of a Greek team that made good use of the heat of their audience. Georgios Bartzokas’ men (13-7) surpassed Real Madrid (13/7) in the table thanks to the ‘basket-average’ and became the new leaders of the highest continental competition.
A victory that was worth double for the locals, after prevailing in Madrid (87-89) with a final basket by Kostas Sloukas. In addition, Thomas Walkup (18 points) and Aleksandar Vezenkov (15) were a ‘toothache’ for the madridistas, unable to stop the local gale, in the game with the least white scoring of their entire Euroleague season.
In Piraeus, Real Madrid found Tavares from the start in the inside game, but the Olympiacos players closed the paint very quickly to begin to dominate the match through their defense. The two ‘alley hops’ by Yabusele and the Cape Verdean himself scared the body, but the Greek three-point shot allowed the locals to dominate the first quarter (19-15).
More successful in attack, Chus Mateo’s men started the second ten minutes in the best possible way with an 8-0 run to put themselves up on the scoreboard for the first time. Without slowing down, the whites kept up their intensity, but the quality of the Hellenic team soon made itself felt with a 2+1 score by McKissic at halfway point that returned the advantage and dominance to the locals. Walkup’s triple final certified the good moment of the Greeks to leave ahead at halftime (36-28).
The second part began with a battle on the paint that left an exchange of blows that the white team took advantage of to reduce the distance to five. But the lack of success from the triple (3/17) continued to be a drag for the madridistas, who once again turned to Tavares to try to stop the intensity of the locals. The little final concentration ended up condemning a white team that saw Bartzokas’ men go on the scoreboard to close an almost immaculate third set (54-44).
With nothing to lose, Chus Mateo’s team launched into the last ten minutes, but the lack of success continued to be the keynote, this time due to a great local defense. The income obtained by the Hellenic team allowed them to speculate something more with the end of the game. Thus, the good work of Walkup and Vezencov was enough to stop the attacks of a Real Madrid that found itself unable to reduce the advantage of ten throughout the last quarter.
The three triples in a row missed by Rudy Fernández, who returned to the European courts after overcoming his last injury, were a reflection of the Madridistas’ lack of concentration and the whites’ inability to overcome a great final physical display from the Greeks, very superiors before the lack of attitude of a Real Madrid that seemed to lower its arms.
DATASHEET.
–RESULT: OLYMPIACOS, 73 – REAL MADRID, 60. (36-28, at halftime).
–TEAMS.
OLYMPICS: Walkup (18), Canaan (3), Papanikolau (5), Vezenkov (15), Peters and Fall (4) — starting quintet– Sloukas (11), McKissic (8), Bolomboy (2), Larentzakis (2), Peters (-), Lountzis (-) and Black (5).
Real Madrid: Llull (6), Caseur (3), Deck (4), Yabusele (6) and Tavares (12) – starting quintet – Poirier (4), Cornelie (2), Musa (12), Hanga (12). 2), Hezonja (9), Rudy Fernandez (-) and Ndiaye (-).
— PARTIALS: 19-15, 17-13, 18-16 and 15-21.
–REFEREES: Belosevic, Mogulkoc and Vyclicky.
–PAVILION: Pavilion of Peace and Friendship.