Chus Mateo: We never retreat. Everybody was ready to react
Chus Mateo
Real Madrid Head Coach Chus Mateo argued that a never say die mentality was the key factor behind the latest of Los Blancos’ record 11 continental crowns
After seeing his team overcome all the odds to be crowned Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champions, Real Madrid Head Coach Chus Mateo argued that a never say die mentality was the key factor behind the latest of Los Blancos’ record 11 continental crowns.
Real looked dead and buried after two games of its playoffs series against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, facing the daunting task of winning twice in Belgrade. That was duly achieved and Mateo’s men became the first team ever to recover from a 0-2 series deficit to advance into the Final Four.
Then Friday’s semifinal against FC Barcelona saw Real fall 9 points behind shortly before halftime, but then roar back to overcome its old archrival in the second half. And the road to glory concluded as Sunday’s title decider against Olympiacos Piraeus saw yet another comeback act, with Real overturning a 12-point deficit to take victory through a dramatic game-winner from Sergio Llull.
Mateo said he believes that his team’s wild series of triumphs in the face of adversity was only possible because of the togetherness shown by his players, saying: “We knew it was going to be very tough, it was not going to be easy, but we believed, we believed until the end.
“We never retreat. Everybody was ready to react. When problems came, we reacted. It was good to see how the players all joined together. It’s unbelievable what we did. It was a very tough season, but with a very happy ending.”