Chus Mateo: "We dug deep to win the game"

Chus Mateo and Campazzo analysed Real Madrid's victory over UCAM Murcia in the quarter-finals and their progress to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey. The coach said after the game: "We beat a very tough team, who have been playing very well. They were one of the best Murcias we have come up against in a long time. We put in a good performance, solid and doing things very well with a comfortable 14-point lead and our mistakes in offensive rashness, losing too many balls, punished us a lot. The offensive rebounding was the same."

"They hurt us and of the 79 points conceded I think 31 were between turnovers and rebounds, but the good thing is that we are going to play in a semi-final. Breaking the ice is not easy and we got over the first hurdle. We had the character to know how to suffer together and not get down and stick our necks out to win the game. Another very positive thing is that everyone has contributed and we have clearly identified where we can improve."

Reaction in time
"The danger of the Cup is to think beyond what you have in front of you. Murcia are very dangerous and make you play uncomfortably. We need circulation but the good thing is that we have identified that today was the game. If you lose, you're out. We won and we are only thinking about the semi-finals. That helps us to do a good job. I'm not thinking about the projection four days from now."

Wanting to close the game early
"We did some very good things in the first half and I have positive things to take away overall. Then, we wanted to finish the game before the 40th minute and that never happens. You have to do a good job play by play and sometimes we think that we have the game in the bag and we want to finish it early. Against teams like Murcia, if you don't play with discipline, the opposing team is capable of taking advantage."

Strong squad
"We have a team with a lot of people. We're in the Euroleague, which is brutally demanding and the demands of the competitions mean that we have a large squad with good players. I'm lucky to be the Real Madrid coach and to have this team. Regardless of the depth of the squad, the players have character, quality and the way they play also has an influence. I have very good players by my side."

Assessing Campazzo
"He's an absolutely essential player for our team. He's the team's point guard and a lot of balls go through him and he makes a lot of decisions. I'm very happy with his return and the way he's playing. He has given us a boost of improvement since he came back from the NBA. The games and the game load are noticeable but he has come back at a good time. Today was not one of his most brilliant games but when the time is right he brings out the character and heart that he has to change the game. He has a voracious hunger and I'm happy with his participation in the team."

Campazzo: "We recovered well"
"It was a tough and complicated game. They made us play an uncomfortable contest, but we played a very solid game. We have things to improve like rebounding and defensive balance. We've been playing very good basketball and that means that our opponents know how to play against us, more physically and with different defences. We have to take that step forward and they demanded a physical and mental game from us and we were able to pull it off in the last moments and we were able to defend well and play for the player who was good at any given moment."

"We committed a lot of turnovers at times when we were playing well and that allowed them to run and score a lot of one-on-zero points. That hurt us a lot. You have to know how to bounce back in the important moments and we did that very well, but also give credit to UCAM Murcia."

Protagonism at the end of the game
"This is what makes Real Madrid so dangerous. We have a great variety of offensive resources and today it was my turn to take more responsibility, but anyone can take the ball and make the other player play or score. That makes us very dangerous and we have to take advantage. We can't be predictable when attacking and we have to be solid. When you're solid in defence as well, the attack can flow."