Real is eternal. The Madrid club won its eleventh Euroleague basketball after overthrowing Olympiacos (79-78) thanks to a basket from Sergio Llull three seconds from the siren on Sunday in Kaunas (Lithuania) in a superb final. The Merengue, the most successful in the competition, were led by four lengths with 45 seconds remaining (78-74), before an award-winning shot from Sergio Rodriguez then the basket from Llull. The two grognards of this Real who takes his revenge for the final last year, lost against Efes Istanbul (59-58). The point of difference is this time in his favor and has silenced the 5,000 noisy supporters of Piraeus, all dressed in red, stunned at the final whistle.
After the last failed attempt of their hero Kostas Sloukas, author of the shot of the victory of match 3 in quarters against Fenerbahçe, in this Zalgirio Arena which they were the only ones to heat during this weekend of Final Four, booing the adversaries and singing to the glory of their heroes. Real is almost a miracle after overcoming its two opening defeats at home in the quarter-finals against Partizan Belgrade, then accused in the decisive match 5 18 points behind at the start of the third quarter. A tense series marked by a general fight in game 2 after a gross foul by .. Llull on Kevin Punter.
Miracle Real
Result: 21 exclusions, match stopped less than 1 min 40 sec from the end and, a posteriori, momentum stopped for Partizan, deprived for two games of its American leader and for one of its French pivot Mathias Lessort, two key pieces. Llull was not sanctioned unlike Guerschon Yabusele, who consequently watched the coronation of his teammates in civilian clothes on Sunday, like Vincet Poirier (injured). Fabien Causeur was good on the field and was essential to keep his team afloat before the final (11 points including 3/5 at long distance).
The disillusion is great for Olympiacos, who are still waiting for their fourth crown (after 1997, 2012 and 2013) and have lost their third final since their last title ten years ago (after 2015 and 2017 against… Real). Thus continues a curse: since the establishment of a single pool in 2016, the first of the regular season has never been crowned European champion. The Olympiacos of the French pivot Moustapha Fall was close to breaking it, carried by its strong winger Sacha Vezenkov, MVP of the regular season and author of 29 points Sunday in the final. But he watched the Spaniards celebrate the eleventh crown.