Musa and Llull put an end to suffering in Athens

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It was not a triumph to brag about, but starting the Euroleague by winning away at the OAKA can be signed by anyone.

If Real Madrid finally reconquers the European throne in the Final Four, few will remember this first victorious step.

It could be summed up in

's three-pointer that ended the night in Athens or in the 10 free throws missed by Panathinaikos that would have changed any script.

The fact is that, more sweat or less,

's Madrid remains undefeated, five out of five between Super Cup, ACB and Euroleague.

[68-71: Narration and statistics]

In a very thick duel that was never able to break or dominate, Madrid ended up taking refuge in the defense to compensate for its offensive greyness.

There,

is the king, the element that tips the scales.

His deaf work ended up undermining the local courage and the final appearance of

, in addition to Llull's great blow, finished off the reborn and hairless Panathinaikos of

.

Real Madrid did not find a simple scenario or an evicted rival like Panathinaikos last year.

Nine new faces -among them,

, one of the great protagonists of the recent Eurobasket- and a change in the bench to wake up a historic run down.

Which, based on enthusiasm and energy, hindered a Madrid that was advancing in fits and starts, which gained its first advantage (13-21) with an electro-shock, as brilliant as it was ephemeral, by

against his former team -eight points in just one minute- and that, later, without success or fluidity, survived until the break without much fanfare.

It had been an awkward first half, with moments of brilliance but too many disconnects.

The rebound,

and Tavares supported Madrid, but they needed something more at OAKA.

And on the way back he ran into a rival determined to short-circuit him, with a

who, with his steals, was the image of Greek intensity.

And the ineffable

was his offensive strut, despite the fact that he missed free throws pitifully.

The response of Deck and Tavares followed, fireproof, a couple so rocky and effective that at times it is unstoppable for anyone.

joined

, which had lasted little at the start with two fouls.

But every time it seemed to link several positive actions, Madrid failed to take off due to their own mistakes or the successes of others.

The game progressed with an uncomfortable exchange, with strange refereeing decisions, heading towards an outcome on the wire.

Lull appeared.

In the game that made him more of a white legend, 346 European nights like no one else, and after a first half that he did not exactly keep in his memory, the Spaniard hit a triple of those that destroy boards and put a hopeful distance (55-62) .

But the script kept repeating itself.

Panathinaikos always came back.

And he did it in a big way, with an 8-0 in which the often

crimped two triples in a row.

There, in that abyss, Panathinaikos no longer had any freshness against a Madrid that knows by heart how to win games.

Musa chained three baskets in a row, with that ease that makes him unique, in this Euroleague that awaits him so much.

And, after a series of errors on both sides, Llull's 'tangerine', a cry of rage at the OAKA, put an end to what was going on.

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• Sergio Lull

• real Madrid

• eurobasketball

• Ministry of Defence

• Euroleague