Defeat in the Euroleague final

Real Madrid lost to Panathinaikos in the Euroleague 2024 final at the Uber Arena in Berlin. Our team got off to a great start with an impressive first three minutes in which they scored 10 points without a miss (8 from a brilliant Ndiaye). They kept up the level in a blistering first quarter in attack, ending with 36 points. Panathinaikos hung in there thanks to their success in the three pointer and offensive rebounding, but they couldn't keep pace with Madrid. We even had the setback of two fouls called on Tavares by the referees in just three minutes. Our team showed extra concentration and played their usual team game. Musa was active (10 points), Poirier cancelled out Lessort and Sergio Rodríguez provided some quality minutes. Five points from him and another five from Yabusele brought the difference to +14 at 41-27 in the 12th minute.

Advantage at the break
The Greeks responded in the second quarter. Madrid gradually lost momentum in attack and their opponents came out on top with more aggression and greater confidence after stringing together eight points in a row. Sloukas, Grant and Lessort drew Madrid to within one point on several occasions, the last at 49-48. But Madrid stood firm and never allowed them to take the lead in a mostly mental exercise. They came out on top with two three-pointers from Campazzo and Musa to make it 54-49 at half-time.

The match began to get tougher, with Panathinaikos moving better and taking advantage of the disparity in the referee's judgement, which unsettled Madrid at times. A drop in shooting accuracy also played a part, with three-pointers and even free throws being missed. Panathinaikos took the first lead of the game with a three-pointer from Nunn in the 34th minute. Sergio Rodriguez's introduction was vital to take Madrid into the final quarter with the Greeks narrowing their lead (61-64, min. 30).

Madrid fight until the end
Madrid gave it everything they had but it wasn't their day at all in attack. Despite this, the team gave everything, although the personal fouls, which gave the Greek team a lot of extra points from the free throw, also took their toll. Campazzo and Poirier went early with five fouls. Panathinaikos was brimming with confidence and their outside players kept opening up a lead. Llull went for the epic with his three-pointers. There was no comeback, however, and Panathinaikos won the title. Real Madrid now turn their focus to the league semi-finals, starting on Wednesday against Barça at the WiZink Center.