Real Madrid have picked up their second win of this pre-season campaign. After seeing off Benfica last week, tonight they got the better of Monaco in a friendly clash held at a packed Pabellón Municipal de Deportes in Pontevedra as part of the Torneo EncestaRías. The Dream Game, as it was billed, pitted the reigning champions of Spain and France against each other, and they sure delivered a EuroLeague-worthy match. Chus Mateo’s boys took the win with the final move of the game, thanks to Deck’s delightful basket. Defense and a superb Musa display were hugely important in remaining unbeaten.

It was a tough, hard-fought game, and the madridistas came through with flying colours, as Tavares, Musa and Hezonja all made their first appearances of the campaign. Chus Mateo had the three of them on court from the start, alongside Campazzo and Deck. Following an early spell of sloppiness from both outfits, a reflection of the stage of the season, our boys began to find their range from outside to edge ahead in the first quarter with four successive triples – two for Musa, one for Abalde and Feliz (21-17).

Madrid look strong at the back
The calm point-scoring was restored in the second quarter, but this time with more input from defense. The rotations were constant, Feliz and Ibaka showing glimpses of how important they’ll be at the back this season, while Hugo González brought energy up the other end. A further two madridista triples and the chance to run after closing out the rebound under their hoop, saw the Madrid team open up an 8-point advantage over Monaco, whose resistance came in the form of Okobo and Korkmaz (35-30, min.20).

The French outfit pushed back after the break, with points for Motiejunas and a strong offensive rebound, even going ahead at 38-39 with 23 on the clock. Madrid reacted quickly though, with two Musa three-pointers. He was joined by Campazzo in creating the play and Deck enjoyed a strong spell to wrest back the lead with a 7-0 run. Abalde, who was inspired from the outside, had an answer for anything Monaco and Okobo could muster (60-55, min.30).

Deck proves decisive
Madrid maintained the initiative until the 35th minute thanks to great work from Abalde and Musa. At 65-58, the team appeared to have the game under control, before two technical fouls by Hezonja, who was sent off, gave Monaco a lifeline. Okobo tied the game at 69 with just 3 minutes remaining. Chus Mateo’s boys did brilliantly not to lose focus though. They defended resolutely and picked up points from the personal line, but Okobo levelled once again at 75 with 3 seconds left on the clock. Just as the game looked to be heading into overtime, Deck had other ideas. A specialist in buzzer-beaters, the Argentine drove forward, stopped and scored one of his best as the clock ticked around to zero. Victory, and the unbeaten run continues (77-75, min.40).

Rosters:

77-Real Madrid: Campazzo (8), Musa (19), Deck (14), Hezonja (5) and Tavares (2) -starting five- Abalde (11), Sidi (-), Hugo González (3), Rathan-Mayes (2), Andrés Feliz (5), Ibaka (8) and Ndiaye (0).

75-Monaco: Calathes (5), Blossomgame (4), Korkmaz (9), Brown (9) and Motiejunas (11) -starting five- Okobo (21), Diallo (10), Papagiannis (4), Cornelie (2) and Jaiteh (0).

Today marks 25 years since Casillas’ debut

On 12 September 1999, the goalkeeper made his first competitive appearance for Real Madrid at San Mamés.

On this day 25 years ago, the 12th of September 1999, the greatest goalkeeper in our history played his first game for Real Madrid. Iker Casillas joined the club at 9 years old, going on to make his debut at the San Mamés at 18 years of age, in a clash with Athletic Club that finished 2-2.

In Bilbao, Casillas made the first of his 725 appearances in Real Madrid colours. The figure makes him the second all-time highest appearance-maker in the club’s history, behind only Raúl (741). His incredible saves are burned into the minds of every madridista, most notably his huge interventions in the final that yielded La Novena against Bayer Leverkusen, not to mention all the trophies he lifted as the team’s captain.

Honours list
Casillas clinched 19 titles as a madridista: 3 Champions Leagues, 3 Club World Cups, 2 European Super Cups, 5 LaLiga titles, 2 Copas del Rey and 4 Spanish Super Cups. He also lifted the 2010 World Cup with the Spanish National Team, clinching the Golden Glove in the process, and the Euros in 2008 and 2012.