Evan Fournier fought valiantly, scoring 31 points (a career-high in the EuroLeague), but Olympiacos was a shadow of the side that finished first in the regular season. The Greek giants fell 78–68 to Monaco and missed out on a place in what would have been their 10th EuroLeague final.
Sasha Vezenkov struggled offensively, finishing with just 7 points (0/6 from three) and 8 rebounds. The only other player in double digits for Olympiacos was Nigel Williams-Goss with 12 points. Coach Giorgos Bartzokas didn’t play Moses Wright at all.
This marks Olympiacos’ fourth straight Final Four appearance without a trophy to show for it.
An unbelievable effort from @EvanFourmizz who is brought to tears after the defeat
He’s consoled by Spanoulis, an emotional moment at #F4GLORY pic.twitter.com/QtX5XGkMMU
— Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) May 23, 2025
A missed Greek showdown
Fans had hoped for an all-Greek EuroLeague final for the first time in history. Instead, they’ll get a consolation match between Olympiacos and Panathinaikos on Sunday at 5:00 pm (25 May), after Panathinaikos lost to Fenerbahçe. The match will determine third place.
The man who ruined Olympiacos’ night was none other than their former captain, Vassilis Spanoulis. In his debut Final Four as a coach, Spanoulis led Monaco to its first-ever EuroLeague final in only its second appearance at this stage.
Back in 2023, Olympiacos had eliminated Monaco in the semi-finals in Kaunas with a comeback from a 12-point halftime deficit. This time in Abu Dhabi, clarity and precision deserted the Piraeus team.
Monaco’s dominance
Monaco led for most of the game, with key contributions from Alpha Diallo (22 points), Mike James (17 points), and support from Blossomgame (12) and Jaiteh (11). Greek centre Giorgos Papagiannis didn’t play.
Olympiacos’ record in EuroLeague semifinals is now 9–5.
Bartzokas: “Everything went completely wrong”
In a press conference filled with emotion—especially after cameras caught Fournier collapsing to his knees in tears—coach Giorgos Bartzokas analysed the performance:
“We must congratulate Monaco. They were tough for all 40 minutes. This was a painful loss. We had to play in a completely different way. We were the best team all season in many aspects, including assists, yet today we only had 10. We shot 18% from three, scored only 68 points—30 of which were from one player. Everything went wrong tonight.”
He added that his players seemed mentally drained and lacked composure:
“We were too anxious, rushed everything. We didn’t play our usual style. Only Fournier shot well from deep—everyone else went 1/19 from three. We had to be calmer and better prepared for this type of match.”
He also acknowledged the pressure:
“Perhaps past Final Fours weighed on us. Expectations were high. Our fans were amazing—we’re grateful. But we didn’t make them happy with a trophy. We gave our best all season, but tonight that wasn’t enough.”
Spanoulis consoles Fournier, praises Olympiacos
At the final whistle, Vassilis Spanoulis rushed to comfort the heartbroken Fournier. Spanoulis then spoke in the post-game press conference, full of emotion for the team he once led:
“It wasn’t the biggest game of my life because we haven’t won a title. But it was a huge win—more so for the players and the organisation. From the game against Barcelona, we focused entirely on Olympiacos. That’s why we lost by 50 in the French league recently. We were mentally preparing for this game.”
On the looming final against Fenerbahçe, he said:
“It’s a new game. The regular season doesn’t matter now. We’ll approach it differently.”
He described the emotional challenge of facing Olympiacos:
“Olympiacos is more than just a team to me. It was very emotional seeing those fans—fans who once chanted my name. But I had to stay focused. The credit belongs to the players. They followed the plan. I just tried to do my job.”
On Fournier, Spanoulis said:
“He’s a great character and player—like Sasha [Vezenkov] and Papanikolaou. They’re close to my family. I have huge respect for them.”
Quarter breakdown
1st Quarter: 17–17
2nd Quarter: 32–35 (Monaco leads)
3rd Quarter: 51–57
4th Quarter: 68–78 (Final)
Monaco steadily pulled away in the second half, capitalising on Olympiacos’ poor shooting and shaky decision-making.
Key player stats
Olympiacos (Coach: Giorgos Bartzokas)
Fournier: 31 pts (4 threes)
Williams-Goss: 12 pts
Vezenkov: 7 pts (0/6 threes), 8 reb
Milutinov: 8 pts
Others: minimal scoring
Monaco (Coach: Vassilis Spanoulis)
Diallo: 22 pts
James: 17 pts
Blossomgame: 12 pts
Jaiteh: 11 pts
Okobo: 7 pts
Others: contributed defensively
