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Real Madrid head coach Chus Mateo spoke after the game against Olympiacos, discussing the EuroLeague and the 23rd round.
Mateo prepared the game excellently, securing a significant lead of plus 24 in the first half, only to face some tension in the continuation, ultimately clinching an important victory.
“We started well, had a 25-point advantage, and then made a mistake in our rhythm. Sometimes, we lacked the patience to attack as we should, and they came back because they are an incredible team—winners with a lot of pride, despite missing several key players. This win is very important, and we must continue to provide fans with satisfaction in the next five games. We need to keep working and learning. We must be more persistent,” said Mateo.
“I don’t care about the message we send to our rivals. I care about the message we have in the locker room. That is to play the way we should, to play together, to suffer together, and to win. We try to listen to each other. There were moments when Olympiacos could have turned the game, but we reacted. I’m interested in how we come out of tough situations, with everyone contributing. If I’m not mistaken, this is the 20th win, which is a lot so far, with 11 games remaining.”
“In the first half, we missed only eight shots, 8/11 from three. Those were good shots. We missed five times for two. In the second half, we didn’t play the way we wanted. They scored 55 points in that period, which is too much. Olympiacos played differently because they were smaller and faster without centers. Rebounding was not good either.”
“Yabusele had problems with his knees. I didn’t want him to be here tonight, he will probably be in the next game. It’s something temporary, something that happens sometimes. He complains of knee pain when jumping, so we’ll see what happens next,” concluded Chus Mateo.
In the next round, Olympiacos hosts Alba Berlin, while Real Madrid faces Maccabi Tel Aviv.