Failing to accomplish the feat of winning the Euroleague, AS Monaco wrote a small page in its history by finishing on the podium, 30 years after the last French club (Limoges titled in 1993), beating Barça (78-66) Sunday in Kaunas (Lithuania) in the match for 3rd place. The Roca Team had assured that it wanted to end its first Final Four on a high note and play to the fullest in this always delicate meeting between the two clubs eliminated in the semi-finals. In 1997, Asvel, the previous representative of the French championship in the last four of the Champions League, lost for bronze against Olimpija Ljubljana.
Monaco keeps its word
In a Zalgirio Arena with an empty third in the first period before the atmosphere warmed up with the arrival of Olympiacos supporters (opposing Real Madrid in the final), ASM kept their word against the demobilized Catalans. Led by eleven points after the first quarter, during which they lost seven balls, the Barcelonans woke up slightly after half-time (44-28 for Monaco), returning in the middle of the third quarter to ten units of Monaco (52-42).
The Rock club then stepped on the accelerator again to seal their victory five minutes from the end (72-53). He approaches the start of the Elite play-offs with a victory (match 1 of the quarter-finals against Strasbourg on Wednesday), where he will not have the right to make mistakes this time after dominating the regular season and losing three of the last four finals (2018, 2019, 2022).
Strazel, game and points
With a view to reuniting with SIG, which almost eliminated Monaco last year at the same stage, and any subsequent rounds, coach Sasa Obradovic has given playing time to two Frenchmen: interior Yoann Makoundou ( four points in eight minutes) and especially the third leader Matthew Strazel. The 20-year-old former Villeurbannais entered at the end of the first quarter in place of star Mike James (who did not turn back the floor afterwards) to finish as the Roca Team’s top scorer (14 pts at 5/5 to two points).
The other key players in ASM’s success were pivot Donta Hall (9 pts and 11 rebounds) and winger Alpha Diallo (10 pts, 6 rebounds and 2 assists). Winner of the Eurocoupe in 2021, antechamber of the Euroleague, quarter-finalist of the Champions League last year and therefore on the podium in 2023 for their second participation in the competition, AS Monaco will try to climb a walk more next year. But returning to the Final Four in 2024 will be “twice as hard” warned Obradovic.