Defiant Greeks hold off Liverpool
The hosts finished in deep defence, down to 10 men and defiantly withstanding a late, dramatic surge by Liverpool. But it would have been harsh had the Greeks not secured only their second-ever European victory over an English side - the first coming 31 years ago.
Liverpool were a bitter disappointment, lacking passion and fire, and reliant on deep defence with the aim to hit on the break. Olympiacos deserved the win which Ieroklis Stoltidis’s goal gave them.
Stephen Warnock kept his place in midfield with Harry Kewell on the bench. Milan Baros was the lone striker rather than £14 million signing Djibril Cisse. Luis Garcia was asked to play as a support striker in Rafael Benitez’s favoured 4-4-1-1 formation.
Twice in the opening minutes, Baros and Garcia got behind the Greek defence with their pace, but it was Olympiacos who almost scored on five minutes and maintained a grip on the opening half.
The danger signs were there when Ioannis Okkas, the Cypriot winger, got to the byline on the right, pulled the ball a yard back and hit a stinging right-foot shot that flicked off Jerzy Dudek’s hands into the near post.
Liverpool conceded a string of free-kicks and Rivaldo, the former FIFA World Player of the Year, was quick to punish the visitors.
His 30-yard delivery from the right was met by Stoltidis, who rose above Sami Hyypia to past Dudek to send the crowd even wilder.
Giovanni then found compatriot Rivaldo in space, and the former Barcelona star unleashed a tremendous drive from easily 35 yards which flashed past Dudek’s left-hand post.
Dudek then almost added to Liverpool’s woes with a sliced kick which soared straight up into the air for Grigorios Georgatos to hook into the six-yard box where the ball bounced off a startled Okkas to drop a foot wide of the post.
Pantelis Kafes rose to send a headed just over the crossbar as Liverpool threatened to concede again and Italian referee Pierluigi Collina’s whistle at the break was welcome relief for Liverpool.
Benitez sent on Kewell at the break for Warnock and Liverpool became more adventurous, Steve Finnan getting away down the right and only a sharp challenge by Anastasios Pantos stopped the cross coming in to the unmarked Garcia. John Arne Riise then saw a 25-yard shot soar wide from a tapped free-kick.
But even though Rivaldo does not have his pace of old, he was still a danger and brought the crowd to their feet with a superb nutmeg on Hyypia.
Georgatos fired another long-range effort over the top, while at the other end Antonios Nikopolidis, a hero of Greece’s Euro 2004 triumph, still had not had a genuine shot to save.
The Greeks put on Georgios Georgiadis and Stylianos Venetidis for Giovanni and Dimitrios Mavrogenidis on 71 minutes, but a more significant change came with the introduction of Cisse for full-back Josemi two minutes later, Finnan dropping back.
Salif Diao came on for a labouring Dietmar Hamann with nine minutes left and a minute later Olympiacos were reduced to 10 men when Pantos was sent off for a second yellow card, this time for tugging away at Xabi Alonso’s shirt.
The Greeks sent on Spyridon Vallas for Georgatos with six minutes left, Olympiacos now forced back by the loss of their full-back. But they were still quick to break and almost embarrassed Liverpool when Georgiadis got clear and somehow pulled his shot wide of the far post.
Liverpool threw everything forward in the final pulsating minutes, but the Greeks hung on for a famous victory.
: Nikopolidis, Mavrogenidis, Anatolakis, Schurrer, Pantos, Rivaldo, Stoltidis, Kafes, Georgatos, Giovanni, Okkas.
: Dudek, Josemi, Carragher, Hyypia, Riise, Finnan, Alonso, Hamann, Warnock, Luis Garcia, Baros.
: Pierluigi Collina (Italy).
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