The Roca Team overcame the Israeli formation (97-86) on Wednesday and qualified for the last four of the competition. A first in the history of the Monegasque club.
A quarter of a century later, French basketball returns to the top of Europe. In front of their audience, in a boiling Gaston-Médecin room, AS Monaco created the feat, Wednesday, May 10, by winning their final face-to-face against Maccabi Tel-Aviv (97-86) , in the quarter-finals of the Euroleague. Having fallen at this stage of the competition last year, the Roca Team won the series (3-2) and qualified for the first time in its history in the Final Four (in Kaunas from May 19 to 21), 26 after Asvel.
Now among the four best teams of the Old Continent, the Monegasques can even dream further and hope to do as well as Limoges CSP, 30 years ago, the only French team in history crowned European champions.
Mike James lit the fuse, Jordan Loyd caught fire
Beaten at the start of the series at home (79-67), the Roca Team had rectified the situation by winning twice in a row, notably during the third meeting in the incandescent lair of Tel Aviv (83-78) . By imitating Barcelona and the Red Star of Belgrade, the only two teams to have triumphed over Maccabi at home, the Principality club regained the advantage of the field to host on the Rock, after toasting a first match point in Israel (69-104), the final meeting of this quarter-final of the Euroleague. “Monaco have worked all season, and worked well to have the right to play the most important match in the history of the club, at home.”underlined George Eddy before the meeting.
Eliminated in 2022 at the end of match 5, consumed by the Piraeus volcano of Olympiakos (94-88), AS Monaco paid to know the importance of public support. This time, led by nearly 4,500 Monegasque supporters, the team led by Sasa Obradovic transcended itself, thanks to an NBA version of Mike James in the first act (21 points, 4 assists). Irresistible from the car park and in traffic in the first two quarters, “Magic Mike” led the Monegasques towards the road to success, author of the better half of his career in the playoffs.
Less visible thereafter, diminished by an injury, the American leader passed the baton to his compatriot Jordan Loyd. And when the whole Roca Team started to lose their footing in the second act, the 28-year-old fullback has shown his teammates the way (14 points in the last two quarters, 21 overall). Thanks to its two attacking leaders, and an Elie Okobo less successful in shooting (1/7 from three points) but still just as valuable in his own half of the field (3 interceptions, match record), the Roca Team managed to win this coveted qualification in the final square of the competition.
A project in search of glory
AS Monaco thus joins the very closed circle of French representatives to have reached the Final Four stage of the Euroleague, after Limoges CSP (in 1990, 1993 and 1995) and Asvel (in 1997). By qualifying for the last four of the most prestigious of continental competitions, a quarter of a century after Villeurbanne, the Roca Team not only signed a huge feat for French basketball. It now displays the face of a serious contender for “final victory”as indicated by George Eddy for franceinfo: sport.
From National 1 in 2013, through the Eurocup title in 2021, to qualifying for the Euroleague Final Four, the Roca Team has continued its upward trajectory since its takeover, ten years earlier, by the Ukrainian businessman Sergey Dyadechko, then coupled by the Russian investment fund of Aleksej Fedoricsev (president and majority shareholder of the club since January 2022).
AS Monaco can dream of the title and once again enter a new dimension. For that, it will be necessary to get rid of Olympiakos in the semi-finals, its executioner of last season. “We are on a mission, now it will be war”warned Elie Okobo at the microphone of L’Équipe, after the meeting.