We’ve got no Holden but we have a character

First CSKA game without Holden in six plus years was extremely tough – it was very difficult to organize the offense against Real. But our team showed mark defense, kept the shaky advantage in the end and is getting back from Madrid unbeaten.

Real Madrid - CSKA: 54-58

Ettore Messina:

“It wasn’t the best game. Both teams played nervous which is strange. We expected Real to be nervous but I thought we will play more relaxed. We missed a lot of open shots and Lorbek couldn’t get into the game. So we actually played without Holden, Smodis and Lorbek. The only positive thing is the character showed by the team. Sometimes it is more important than quality of the game. Due to the character we played better in the second half. As Americans used to say, it was not pretty but good”.