Chus Mateo: “It wasn't an easy game and I'm happy with the win”
“The attitude and patience we showed at the key moments proved decisive," underlined the coach.
Chus Mateo assessed Real Madrid's win over Hiopos Lleida on matchday 30 in the League: “I'd like to congratulate Lleida, regardless of the fact that we won. It was not an easy game because we've just come off a long trip and they're playing really well, in front of a packed home crowd. I'm happy with the win. Now we have to recover from our efforts this week and think only about Manresa.”
“We started well, showed good concentration, but Lleida is a team that keeps coming back. They shoot brilliantly from outside and we had to be really switched on. We had to win the game two or three times. We knew how to react and showed courage and patience at the crucial moments. We lost only five balls and seven rebounds and that was important in shackling them a bit. We rebounded very well and got some second chances.”
Key elements
“The attitude and patience we showed at the key moments. Lleida put in an immense effort to get back into the game but we were able to stay calm, avoid getting nervous and ultimately do enough. Having that extra gear helped us come through what was a very difficult game."
Lleida's complaints
“We play every day and the referees have a difficult job. There are complaints, just like at every court, I have nothing to say about that. They do their job, sometimes they do it better and sometimes they do it worse, but I don't think they ever have bad intentions.”