Hapoel Tel Aviv Clinches Dramatic EuroLeague Victory Over Real Madrid

Hapoel Tel Aviv, led by coach Dimitris Itoudis, secured a crucial 102-98 road win against Real Madrid in Sofia on Thursday, improving their EuroLeague record to 2-1. The game, however, was a test of character for the Israeli team. After building a commanding 22-point lead in the third quarter, Hapoel Tel Aviv experienced a significant collapse, allowing Real Madrid to erase the deficit within eight minutes. Coach Itoudis faced criticism for not calling a timeout during Real Madrid's 19-0 run in the third quarter. Despite a subpar performance from Antoni Blakeney and zero points from John E. Wainwright, Elijah Bryant emerged as the team's leader, delivering a stellar performance with 22 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists, significantly contributing to preserving the lead and securing the win. Rookie Bruno Caboclo also made a strong EuroLeague debut, scoring 15 points with a perfect 5-of-5 from three-point range in the first half, though he was hampered by foul trouble. "We beat Real Madrid twice in the same game," Itoudis stated post-game, emphasizing the importance of the comeback. "This win is important for us, especially because of how it was achieved. In the third quarter, Real got easy shots and our decisions were bad, they changed things in defense, but there was a moment when we told ourselves we needed to show character." The team has little time to celebrate as they face Ironi Ness Ziona on Saturday in the Winner Cup semifinals, with a different rotation and facing fatigue from playing four games in eight days.