Euroleague, Olimpia knockout and Peppe Poeta bitter: "I apologize"
“I apologize to fans and ownership.” With these words, loaded with bitterness, Peppe Poeta sent a strong signal at the end of the game between Olimpia Milano and Bayern Munich, the last home game for the Red Shoes in Euroleague 2025-2026, the fourth consecutive European season without playoffs. The Bavarians won 94-84 at the Forum, however, even reaching a 26-point lead during the third period, on the wings of a 19-point, 6-assist Andreas Obst and a 15-point, 4-rebound, 4-assist Nenad Dimitrijevic.
“So far in the Euroleague we had fought in every single game. Tonight that didn’t happen,” Poeta said at the end of a match that featured, as Milan’s top scorer, Shavon Shields with 14 points. “I will do everything to reverse this trend, including changing my attitude if necessary. Until a month ago, with the Italian Cup won and wins over Maccabi and Barcelona at home, we were doing what we needed to do. In the last month we’ve lost some energy.”
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“We need to be able to pull ourselves together like we did in the Coppa Italia ahead of the playoffs for the Scudetto. Not getting into the postseason for the fourth year is not nice, I understand that, but the situations that have arisen in Europe say that getting to the top ten is a possible, attainable goal, but it doesn’t have to be a failure not to make it. We have tried, with the flaws we have and know, we have not succeeded, and I had no illusions that I could be the one, entering the race, to change this situation. But now I will leave no stone unturned to get where we want to be in the rest of the season.”
Olimpia Milano will close its European season on Thursday, April 16, in Piraeus against Olympiacos. The Greek team still has one goal to reach before the playoffs, the first place that would be lost in case of a loss against the Red Shoes and simultaneous success of Valencia against Dubai. Milan, on the other hand, will in fact play only for honor.
