Into the Copa del Rey final

For the eleventh time in the last twelve seasons, Real Madrid are Copa del Rey finalists - the 52nd final appearance was confirmed thanks to a semifinal victory against Dreamland Gran Canaria in their 50th game of the season. Chus Mateo's men faced a home team whose defense made things difficult in the first half, but they once again demonstrated their ability to adapt and overcome and ultimately get the win in a superb second 20 minutes (32-51). Tavares (19 PIR) and Hezonja (14 points) led five players who reached double figures in these two categories. Real Madrid will play Unicaja Malaga for the trophy, victors against La Laguna Tenerife in the other semifinal, in a repeat of the final five years ago (8:00 pm CET, Movistar Plus+).

Initially, defenses were completely dominant in a semi-final that offered little in terms of attack. Two points for each team in the opening five minutes hinted at a match where tremendous effort and sacrifice would be required to score points. The battle was focused on the rebound, which Madrid won in the first quarter (6 by Tavares). But Gran Canaria's five turnovers and better success in the three-pointers allowed them to finish the period in the lead (16-10).

Hezonja sparks Madrid
Chus Mateo's men were outplayed by the energy of a Gran Canaria side that, with Homesley and Salvó, were flying high on the scoreboard (26-12, min.14). The islanders were on a roll, but up stepped Hezonja up to spark the Madrid machine into life. The change in our team was radical as they became more aggressive and regained control of the rebound. The small forward led an 11-0 run with 8 points, which Musa continued with another 4 to tie the game before the break (31-30).

Gran Canaria seemed to come out stronger after the break with 4 straight points (35-30, min.22). But the fact is that Madrid had already learned their lesson and the defense was the catalyst in changing the flow of the match. Their response was immediate: a 15-1 run to put a +9 in their favor (36-45, min.26) with Campazzo, Musa, Abalde, Ndiaye and Tavares on the court. The point guard scored 3 three-pointers and fed his teammates, the architect of 19 of the team's 25 points in the third quarter. The presence in the paint of Tavares and Ndiaye was also decisive for Madrid’s momentum, who despite Tobey leading the resistance for the home team, were able to defend the lead and even counter in a strong quarter for Madrid (47-55).

Madrid continue their exhibition at the back
Chus Mateo's men smothered an opponent who had given them a tricky first half, imposing their defensive level in the last quarter and finishing off Gran Canaria. In attack, Llull, with his three-pointers (2 for 8 points), Hugo González and Bruno Fernando were prominent scorers. Madrid reached a 20-point lead with five minutes to go, closing a final run of 44-19 between the 22nd and 35th minute (a +19 in the second half), which sealed their passage to the final (63-80, min. 40). Forty minutes separate Madrid from their 30th Copa del Rey.

DREAMLAND GRAN CANARIA-REAL MADRID STATISTICS