Today's Edition
KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)
EuroLeague Basketball champions Real Madrid lifted the inaugural SuperCup trophy at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday night, following an action-packed evening of top-tier action.
Los Blancos secured the historic title after overcoming familiar rivals Olympiacos Piraeus 93-89 in a highly anticipated championship decider. The showpiece event served as a direct rematch of May's EuroLeague final, with the Spanish giants once again coming out on top to claim the first SuperCup crown in the UAE capital.
Walter Tavares was named Most Valuable Player, becoming the first recipient of the award in this new chapter of European basketball history.
While Olympiacos enjoyed the lion's share of crowd support inside the arena, Real Madrid boasted star power courtside, with former football icons Gareth Bale and Marcelo watching on from the sidelines.
The Greek side were slow off the mark, trailing by nine points in the opening quarter before finding their rhythm to trim the deficit to three ahead of the second half.
Speaking after the victory, Real Madrid head coach Pedro Martinez—who took charge in the off-season—emphasised the importance of starting the campaign with silverware.
"This win means a lot because we were up against some exceptional teams, but our pre-season work has been solid and that showed tonight,” Martinez said. “I spoke with President Florentino Perez after the game and we agreed that this is a great start. Winning gives us vital energy, but we still have areas to improve. We didn't play particularly well in the final quarter.”
Olympiacos head coach Georgios Bartzokas praised the tournament’s competitive standard while reflecting on his side's narrow defeat.
“I must commend the organisation of the tournament for giving us a final-calibre matchup so early in September,” Bartzokas said. “It will serve us well as we prepare for the long season ahead.”
Addressing where the game slipped away, Bartzokas pointed to early-season chemistry challenges and tactical missteps.
“It is always difficult to find immediate chemistry with players arriving from different backgrounds,” he explained. “I am still working out which lineups are most effective, and I needed to manage player minutes across the squad. We tried to adjust our tactical approach, but Real Madrid are a team that can easily score 100 points if you give them room. We attempted a few new things, but they didn't quite yield the results we wanted.”
In the earlier third-place play-off, Dubai Basketball missed out on a podium finish after falling 85-77 to Turkish powerhouses Fenerbahce. Despite a spirited effort from Xavi Pascual’s side, Fenerbahce’s depth and late execution proved decisive in a hard-fought contest.
Dubai started brightly, matching their opponents early on before taking control in the third period. A dominant 26-17 third quarter, led by strong displays from Elie Okobo and Davis Bertans, allowed the local side to flip the momentum and carry a narrow 65-64 lead into the final 10 minutes.
However, Fenerbahce mounted a decisive response down the stretch. A key 10-0 run in the fourth quarter, spearheaded by eight late points from Wade Baldwin, swung the game back in favour of the Turkish side.
Talen Horton-Tucker led all scorers with 23 points to seal third place for Fenerbahce, whilst Okobo and Bertans paced Dubai with 14 points each.
