The basketball players from Olympiacos Piraeus broke the spell and won the EuroLeague in a duel with feared opponents Real Madrid. After Piraeus had lost in the previous two final duels with the Madrilenians, head coach Giorgos Bartzokas’ team won 92:85 (44:44) in front of a frenetic audience in Athens. While German national basketball player David Krämer missed out on his first major club title, the Greeks won the European crown for the first time since 2013.
“It means a lot to me! You never know if you’ll experience something like that again,” said German world champion Krämer in the run-up to the finals. However, the 29-year-old waited in vain for playing time in the final. Meanwhile, Real President Florentino Pérez also wanted to be there at the first Final Four on Greek soil since 2007.
With the score at 80:80, Piraeus made a courageous final spurt in what had been a hard-fought and close game and never relinquished the lead. Frenchman Evan Fournier was the standout for Olympiacos with 20 points, while Trey Lyles’ 24 points were also not enough for Madrid.
Madrid missed out on a fourth title after reaching its fifth consecutive Final Four. Real beat Piraeus in 2015 and 2024. The record winner is Panathinaikos Athens with five titles.
