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may 10 2026Madrid. Río Breogán secured one of the most important victories of their season by defeating Real Madrid 101-97 at the Movistar Arena, a historic triumph for the Galician team, who had not won on the white court in 24 years. Luis Casimiro's squad capitalized on the league champions' European hangover following their qualification for the EuroLeague Final Four and withstood Madrid's late comeback to claim a prestigious victory.
The game started marked by poor shooting from beyond the arc and turnovers from both teams. Real Madrid, without Tavares and resting important players like Usman Garuba and Gabriel Deck, found Mario Hezonja as their primary offensive reference in the opening minutes. The whites dominated 13-6 and later extended their lead to 29-19 following an 8-0 run, taking advantage of Breogán's offensive struggles with erratic shooting.
However, the Galician squad reacted defensively and began to grow thanks to the leadership of Keandre Cook, who hit two consecutive three-pointers that brought the game back to even. DeWayne Russell, returning from injury, and Aleksandar Aranitovic sustained the visiting team's offense, which managed to stay close at halftime despite Real Madrid's attempts to break the game open from three-point range with Hezonja (46-43).
After the halftime break, the game's dynamics changed definitively. Río Breogán began to believe in victory while Real Madrid accumulated errors and turnovers. Francis Alonso capped the comeback at 53-55, and shortly after Bakary Dibba punished Madrid's lack of intensity with two steals converted into dunks. The injury to Alex Len, who had been one of Real Madrid's best performers with 17 points and 9 rebounds, also affected Sergio Scariolo's team.
With Mavra inspired and Aranitovic punishing from beyond the arc, the Lucense squad opened an important lead early in the fourth quarter. The technical foul called on Scariolo finished firing up a Breogán team that reached 69-81 and forced the Italian coach to call a timeout. Real Madrid reacted in the final minutes with a quick run that cut the deficit to 90-95, but the Galician team maintained composure.
Mavra then appeared with a decisive three-pointer, and although Real Madrid still had one last chance to force overtime, the challenge requested by Luis Casimiro nullified a potential 2+1 by Trey Lyles following a three-point miss by Gabriele Procida. The subsequent free throws could not prevent a historic victory for Río Breogán, who knew how to withstand the pressure of the champions and secure a win of enormous competitive and emotional value.
Mario Hezonja (16 points) and Sergio Llull (20) led Real Madrid's offense, while Alex Len contributed 17 points and 9 rebounds before retiring with an injury. At Río Breogán, Aleksandar Aranitovic shone with 19 points and Jordan Mavra with 16, plus the outstanding collective work of a team that believed in victory from defense and emotional control in decisive moments.
Real Madrid thus suffers an unexpected league defeat following their European qualification, while Río Breogán adds a victory of enormous prestige at Madrid's Coliseum.
