What a spectacular way to start the season, with the Coca-Cola Arena buzzing with excitement.
Dubai: Dubai Basketball opened their EuroLeague campaign in dramatic fashion on Thursday night, securing a thrilling 78-77 victory over Spanish giants Real Madrid in front of a packed Coca-Cola Arena.
In a closely fought contest where neither team was able to take complete control, Dubai held their nerve in the decisive moments to seal a one-point victory and make a memorable start to their second EuroLeague campaign.
Before tip-off, players and coaching staff from both teams joined the capacity crowd in observing a minute’s silence in memory of the late His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who passed away on Monday. Dubai is observing a 10-day official mourning period, with flags across the city being flown at half-mast.
Once the game began, both teams exchanged baskets from the opening tip-off. Dubai Basketball made the stronger start and ended the first quarter with a 20-16 advantage.
Real Madrid responded strongly in the second quarter, outscoring the hosts 28-18 to overturn the deficit and take a 44-38 lead into half-time.
Dubai came out strongly after half-time, outscoring Real Madrid 25-18 in the third quarter to regain the lead. The contest remained finely balanced throughout the final 10 minutes, with both sides adding 15 points, but Dubai kept their composure under intense pressure to secure a memorable one-point victory.
Dwayne Bacon led Dubai’s scoring with 24 points, while Mfiondu Kabengele and Filip Petrušev made important contributions at both ends of the court as the hosts remained disciplined through to the final buzzer.
Following the victory, Dubai Basketball head coach Xavi Pascual praised his players for their performance and paid tribute to the passionate supporters who filled the Coca-Cola Arena for the season opener.
“I was completely focused on the game, which, as I said, was a very special one. First of all, I would like to thank all the fans who came here,” Pascual said.
“I hope that day by day we can gain more and more fans. That will be the best win we can achieve this season – to make people love basketball in Dubai and feel that they are part of this project.”
Pascual added: “I am sure the fans who came here really enjoyed the experience, and I am very happy for them. My sincere thanks to everyone for being here and supporting us.”
Dubai Basketball will now shift its focus to their next EuroLeague home game, when they welcome FC Barcelona to the Coca-Cola Arena on Tuesday, September 29.
