Maccabi Tel Aviv Guard Yam Madar Plays Through Broken Nose in EuroLeague Win

Maccabi Tel Aviv guard Yam Madar confirmed he played with a broken nose during his team's 80-73 EuroLeague victory over Hapoel Tel Aviv in Limassol on Thursday. Madar sustained the injury in the second quarter from an apparent accidental elbow by Vasilije Micić. He left the game bleeding from his nose and was initially feared to have a fracture.

Despite the injury, Madar returned to the game in the third quarter with his nose bandaged. He briefly left again due to bleeding from his lip but re-entered the game and played until the end, contributing a crucial basket in the tense final minutes. Madar finished the game with 10 points and seven assists in 12 minutes of play.

"I broke my nose. It was a game with many ups and downs, they managed to come back. We stayed together, that's the most important thing," Madar stated after the game. He added, "We came after a difficult period, I'm happy we managed to do it, to look significantly better. We looked better as a team compared to the previous game. The problem was that I was bleeding, but the moment it stopped I returned. I wanted to be there for the team."

Maccabi Tel Aviv coach Oded Katash expressed uncertainty about Madar's condition during halftime. The win marked a significant improvement for Maccabi Tel Aviv compared to their previous performance.