Real Madrid celebrates the Super Cup achieved at the Palacio de los Deportes San Pablo in Seville. /
Final
The white team begins the Chus Mateo era by beating a superior Barça in extra time until Llull and Tavares appeared
The emotion was served in Sevillian lands. Real Madrid managed to add a new Super Cup to its showcases, the first of the Chus Mateo era and the fifth in a row, after beating Barcelona in the final with extra time. The white team managed to revalidate the title won a year ago at the Pabellón Insular Santiago Martín in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, facing off for the umpteenth time with their great rival.
The two great giants of Spanish basketball met again with a title at stake after successfully eliminating Betis and Joventut Badalona in the semifinals last Saturday. Between the people of Madrid, champions of the last Endesa League, and the Catalans, winners of the Copa del Rey last year, everything remained to be decided once again.
89
Real Madrid
Causer (3), Deck (15), Tavares (24), Yabusele (9) and Musa (19) -initial five-; Rudy Fernández (3), Hezonja, Sergio Rodríguez, Poirier (2) and Segio Llull (14).
83
Barcelona
Sanli (21), Sergi Martínez, Satoransky, Laprovittola (12) and Tobey (9) -initial five-; Vesely (8), Kalinic (8), Abrines (4), Kuric (10) and Jokubaitis (11).
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Partials:
17-15, 12-22 (29-37), 26-12 (55-49),16-22 (71-71), 18-12 (89-83). -
Referees:
Hierrezuelo, Count and Aliaga. They eliminated the Barcelona players Vesely (m.35) and Sanli (m.45) by five personalities. -
Incidences:
Final of the Endesa Super Cup played at the Palacio de los Deportes San Pablo in Seville before 7,000 spectators.
The group led by Chus Mateo, who was already in charge of the meregue team in the last Endesa League final due to Pablo Laso’s health condition but was not yet officially the head coach, struck first at the Palacio de Deportes in Seville, taking the first quarter by a partial of 17-15. The Madrid team took the first lead, but nothing was said. The azulgranas had a spectacular second quarter, in which they won by a difference of ten points, which allowed them to go to the locker room ahead on the scoreboard.
The Catalans were shining against their great rival and seemed quite superior both in shooting accuracy and in direction of play and especially defensive intensity, but it is known that Madrid never gives up. If the azulgranas had prevailed resoundingly in the second set, the Madrid team was not going to be less, taking control of the third quarter (26-12) to turn the score around. Joy changed sides again with a brilliant Llull, who with three consecutive triples was key, but the title was not yet decided. The duels between Real Madrid and Barcelona never leave anyone indifferent.
The block led by Jasikevičius was not going to allow things to stay that way, forcing extra time after a last quarter in which he annulled the Whites’ advantage with just a few seconds to go. Deck tried to avoid overtime with a nearly desperate 3-pointer, missing the attempt.
The meeting would live five more minutes to the delight of those present, who could continue enjoying the great show they were providing. Already in extra time it would be the madridistas who took the title to their showcases in a tremendous final.
The Madrid team beat their eternal enemy by a six-point difference (89-83), but it was not until the last minute when Chus Mateo’s men finished uneven the balance to add the ninth Super Cup to their record with a great Walter Tavares, imposing and decisive in that last arreón.
In short, the performances of Llul and Tavares were decisive once again for the Whites to add a new trophy to their list of winners. The three consecutive three-pointers from the Balearic Islands were fundamental in the madridista reaction, together with the sensational finish of the Cape Verdean giant, who went up to 24 points so that the title would set course for the capital of Spain.
