BELGRADE, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Euroleague holders Real Madrid are staring at an early exit after a dramatic 94-88 defeat at Red Star Belgrade while six of their rivals reached the competition's second group stage with three games to spare on Friday.
Spanish contenders Barcelona and Unicaja Malaga, Russians CSKA Moscow and Lokomotiv Krasnodar as well as Fenerbahce Istanbul and Olympiakos Piraeus all progressed to the Top 16, featuring two groups of eight teams.
Real's setback at Red Star left them with a 2-5 record and facing an uphill battle to stay in the hunt for a record-extending 10th title, after the hosts swung the absorbing contest their way in front of a fervent 7,000 crowd.