Santiago de Compostela, Mar 5 (EFE) Last gasp for the white team, who survived ahead on the scoreboard thanks to a colossal Dzanan Musa in the third quarter and his individual quality in the last.
In sport there is no better balm than victories. Success cannot be built without them, and even more so in a team as demanding as Real Madrid. After the cup disappointment, Chus Mateo’s team has won all three of its matches. In Santiago he reunited with the League and he did so by showing off his wardrobe.
The current league champions accused the absence of the Cape Verdean center Tavares, who was injured in the European duel against Asvel Villeurbanne, in the inside game. Without him, he loses that intimidation power in the paint. At times, he even played without a pure five. But he used his trade and resources to disarm his rival.
He entered the game with the intensity that his coach had requested, and that always allowed him to dominate the duel. After an even start, Real Madrid hit their rival with a 0-8 run that sent them into the net. Moncho Fernández called a timeout (6-15, min.6). Child losses and shooting errors, the result of haste, were killing his team.
The white team imposed its physique in individual actions, and its advantage reached 15 points. The coach from Santiago stopped the game again (16-31). And this time there was a reaction from his team, just after the visitors reached a maximum income of 19 points (16-35). His team began to grow from defense; and in attack he knew how to exploit the absence of Tavares in the paint.
After passing through the changing rooms, Obradoiro lost its fear of Real Madrid. He raised his level of aggressiveness in defense, and in attack he went wild. Only Musa’s display in the third quarter kept Mateo’s team ahead. The people of Santiago had done a tremendous job to get back into the game, and at times that fatigue and lack of luck penalized him.
Because in the last quarter the Galician team scared Real Madrid. Little by little, they narrowed their deficit until they reduced it to just three points (68-71) with just over four minutes to go, with Guerrero and Blazevic dominating the inside game in the absence of Tavares. Chus Mateo returned Musa to the track, but it was Sergio Rodríguez and Poirier who gave their team oxygen (68-76).
Moncho Fernández stopped the clash. His team continued to be intense on defense, and he enjoyed a triple to get within three with a minute and a half to go. The rim spat out Philip Scrubb’s shot, and that’s where his winning chances were buried.
– Datasheet:
78 – Monbus Obradoiro (14 +16+27+21): Zurbriggen (7), Thomas Scrubb (10), Robertson (10), Álex Suárez (3) and Blazevic (18) -first team- Westermann, Vicedo (8) , Philip Scrubb (8), Guerrero (12) and Muñoz.
84 – Real Madrid (24+20+22+18): Williams-Goss (11), Hanga (8), Deck (15), Musa (19) and Poirier (6) – starting team – Causeur (9), Sergio Rodriguez (8), Abalde (2), Cornelie and Yabusele (6).
Referees: Benjamin Jimenez, Esperanza Mendoza and Roberto Lucas.
Incidents: Match corresponding to the twenty-first day of the Endesa League played at the Multiusos Fontes do Sar in front of 5,815 spectators.