By Javier Molero/ jmolero@eurohoops.net
This marks Real Madrid’s third loss in their first three EuroLeague games. They stumbled away against Hapoel Tel Aviv (102-98) in a match where Los Blancos managed to erase a 22-point deficit and head into the final quarter all tied up (75-75).
Amid the club’s worst-ever start to the European competition, Pedro Martínez spoke at the post-game press conference in Sofia about what was missing and what they hope to improve moving forward.
“Two totally different halves. In the first half, our defense was poor; the result was a sluggish offense lacking rhythm or ball movement—it was terrible,” he commented.
“In the second half, we played with more aggression and managed to stage a comeback. It was very difficult because Hapoel is a highly experienced team. We managed to turn the game around and take a 2-point lead. At that point, we needed to rotate the squad, but the rotations didn’t work out. In the final minutes, Hapoel played intelligently—drawing fouls to get to the free-throw line—and deserved to win the game,” he continued after the loss.
“We need to work together with a mindset focused on improvement. We need time to do better. It comes down to our day-to-day work and shifting our mentality—understanding that the situation isn’t easy. We must avoid making excuses or looking for someone to blame. We are a team through both the good times and the bad, and we need to improve,” he concluded regarding the team’s current form.
This marks Real Madrid’s third loss in their first three EuroLeague games. They stumbled away against Hapoel Tel Aviv (102-98) in a match where Los Blancos managed to erase a 22-point deficit and head into the final quarter all tied up (75-75).
Amid the club’s worst-ever start to the European competition, Pedro Martínez spoke at the post-game press conference in Sofia about what was missing and what they hope to improve moving forward.
“Two totally different halves. In the first half, our defense was poor; the result was a sluggish offense lacking rhythm or ball movement—it was terrible,” he commented.
“In the second half, we played with more aggression and managed to stage a comeback. It was very difficult because Hapoel is a highly experienced team. We managed to turn the game around and take a 2-point lead. At that point, we needed to rotate the squad, but the rotations didn’t work out. In the final minutes, Hapoel played intelligently—drawing fouls to get to the free-throw line—and deserved to win the game,” he continued after the loss.
“We need to work together with a mindset focused on improvement. We need time to do better. It comes down to our day-to-day work and shifting our mentality—understanding that the situation isn’t easy. We must avoid making excuses or looking for someone to blame. We are a team through both the good times and the bad, and we need to improve,” he concluded regarding the team’s current form.
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