Despite the impact of Argentine leader Facundo Campazzo (28 points, 10 assists, 41 rating), who scored a barrage of three-pointers in money time to try to make up for lost time, and Cape Verdean pivot Walter Tavares (21 points and 11 rebounds), Real Madrid had to give up their weapons against a conquering AS Monaco.
Roca Team had just 17 assists, their fourth lowest total of the season, and conceded 95 points, but they also grabbed 40 rebounds, tying their second best total. She was able to count in particular on the mastery of Elie Okobo (22 points at 7/11 aix shoots).
“We can defend better, but they made incredible shots,” said coach Vassilis Spanoulis, referring to the end of the match. “We could move the ball around better, but overall I’m satisfied. Congratulations to my players. Against Real Madrid, despite their size, we dominated the rebounds. We grabbed 17 offensive rebounds. We were present. We have shown commitment. »
“It was an incredible match,” said Elie Okobo. “Just after Christmas, being able to celebrate in front of our fans with such an important victory against Real Madrid was really special. Everyone participated, everyone played with energy, and we won. This is the most important. »
“We wanted to finish in style at home for our last match of 2025,” commented Mathew Strazel. “I think we played well. We stayed focused for 40 minutes and found a way to get the win. I’m proud of us. »
“We are a very new team. Half of the squad is new, as are the technical staff,” noted Real coach Sergio Scariolo. “The competition is extremely demanding. We are clearly making progress, more and more. I think we still have to improve in the coming weeks and months, but the trend is clearly positive. Sometimes we would like to speed up this process a little, but things happen in their time. Some players still need to understand what it means to play for this team and at this level of competition. We need to improve in terms of cohesion and better understand what it takes to compete with a team like Monaco. Monaco is a perfect example of a team whose core team has played together for many years, which makes it easier for new players to integrate. Our journey is a long-term project. »
