This is what the protagonists had to say after the Round 30 showdown between Olympiacos Piraeus and Panathinaikos OPAP Athens.
Post-game quotes: Olympiacos vs. Panathinaikos
Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos Piraeus head coach:
“Congratulations to the players and the fans. It was complicated before the start, we only had one day and a small practice to prepare this game. As you know we spent a lot of energy to win in Kaunas [against Zalgiris on Tuesday], including the trip. It was a question mark for us, what kind of energy we would have in this game. But the motivation in this kind of game against Panathinaikos is always huge, especially from our fans. They are pushing the players to play hard."
Dimitris Priftis, Panathinaikos OPAP Athens head coach:
“Obviously it’s a very tough night for us. The way we started the game was terrible, and although we tried in the next quarters and had some balance in the score, the performance in the first quarter was so bad we couldn’t claim anything better."
Related Videos
Sasha Vezenkov, Olympiacos Piraeus forward:
“I never talk personally about players, but I think Moustapha gave us power from the beginning. He was everywhere on offense and defense, so he was the leader to carry everybody up. After that everybody who came up gave 100 percent to win this game which we know is always very important I want to congratulate the whole team, the coaching staff, the guys who are working with the team and the fans who helped us a lot because always this game is really important.”
Moustapha Fall, Olympiacos Piraeus center:
“It’s a derby so even if you’re tired you’ve got to play 100 percent from the start. We had a really good start and it brought us to the victory. Coach asked me to play aggressive from the start and I tried to set the tone for my team. It was successful today so I am happy.”
Georgios Papagiannis, Panathinaikos OPAP Athens center:
"We were not good throughout the match. We apologize to our fans and the club. This is not the image we should have. We must not give up. We have to correct our image."