Žakelj: There's not much to say, the point was to win - our goal is to advance to the finals

The six-act story with Cluj is finally over - the basketball players of Budućnost Voli in the Admiralbet ABA League championship "smashed" the Romanian team, advanced to the semifinals and somewhat avenged their elimination in the Eurocup.

Andrej Žakelj's team ultimately "buried" Cluj's basket (112:81), although the impression remains that not everything was easy in the quarterfinal series.

"It was a tough series, we knew every match would be like that. Cluj plays good basketball, they're a tough team, but what we missed in Romania we've made up for now," said Žakelj at a press conference.

Buducnost led from the start in the third match, often going up to plus 15, but the rival kept coming back until the last quarter. In the end, the blue and whites showed in the last 10 minutes who was the better team, so the difference went over plus 30.

"I would say we controlled the entire game. There were some downs, especially in defense, but later we changed certain details in defense and then everything worked better and in the end we deservedly celebrated," added Žakelj.

Semifinals are a habit for Buducnost, now the team from Podgorica wants more - against strong Dubai in the semifinals.

"There's not much to talk about, the point was to win and we did that. We're used to the goals always being high here. And we need to push on. Dubai? We don't have much to talk about, we know it's a Euroleague team, but we're going unburdened, with our own desires and goals. Our goal is to get to the final and that's what we're playing for," the Slovenian expert is clear.

Can Buducnost triumph against a powerful and wealthy rival?

"We can play against such a team if we are at our best, focused, control the rebound and small but very important things. I hope Dubai will have a hard time in Podgorica," emphasized the Buducnost coach.

At the end of the first quarter, Oleksandr Kovlijar was injured when he hit his head on the floor.

"We met after the game, he looks OK, but I don't know if everything is okay with his head. He hit the floor really hard. I know the doctors treated him quickly, but he will probably have to undergo additional tests. I hope it won't have any major consequences," says Žakelj.

The match in Morača was watched by around 2.500 fans.

"I congratulate the audience, those who came were great. I'm glad there was a good atmosphere. I hope even more people will come in the semi-finals," concluded Žakelj.