The starting lineup of Olympiacos was mostly new. Megyeri was the goalkeeper. For the defense line, Holebas was the left winger, Diakite the right one, while Contreras and Manolas were the two stoppers. As midfielders played Siovas, Maniatis and Machado. For the attack, Fuster played as a right and Greco as a left winger, while Mitroglou was the striker.
Just in the 5’ Machado had a free kick, but the ball went out. In the same minute, Fuster won the ball, on the right side, then moved towards the box and shot, buy his shot went on an opponent and ended corner.
Arsenal threatened with a free kick of Cazorla in the 12’. Megyeri however, reacted properly and “threw” the ball corner, taking away the risk. At the beginning of the match, the Gunners controlled it, yet Olympiacos managed to quickly balance the game and was able to possess the ball. From the 20’ on, the English started putting pressure upon the Greek team once more.
In the 22’ Machado was found on the right, passed to Mitroglou who, in spite of his good effort, barely threatened Mannone with his head. In the 30’, Olympiacos touched the goal! Machado struggled, not letting the ball reach the corner. He passed it nicely from the left to Mitroglou and the latter shot while Mannone saved the ball at the side of his goalposts!
Not much later Olympiacos lost the greatest chance in the game, up to that point! After putting pressure upon Arsenal, they stole the ball at the centre of the ground reaching Maniatis on the right. He passed the ball, Mitroglou did not manage to touch it, but Machado found himself to its course! The Portuguese player even though he was very close, having no defender in front of him, sent the ball out! In the 40’ Mannone reacted properly to Machado’s free kick and blocked the ball.
The law of football prevailed for our players, since, after their lost chances, they scored against them. Just before the end of the first half, Arsenal took the lead of the game, when during a counter attack Gervinho made a shot from out of the box and sending the ball towards the corner of the goalpost, he managed to beat the Hungarian goalkeeper. Two minutes later, Machado put the right pressure, stole the ball, but his shot did not annoy Mannone.
However, the first half has not been over yet! This proved to be true in the best possible way! Seconds before the Norwegian referee Moen shows the end of the first half, Greco took the ball on the left and passed to Mitroglou, in the box. The Greek striker made a nice jump and with a nice try using his head he sent the ball at the back end of Mannone’s goalpost, equalizing in an ambiance of enthusiasm for the fans of Olympiacos present at the Emirates stadium! After the end of the first match our team was 1-1 with Arsenal.
If the first half ended well for Olympiacos, the second one did not start likewise. In the 54’ Mitroglou had a nice shot but missed the target. In the 56’ Gervinho found himself on the left in the box of Megyeri and passed to Podolski. He beat Megyeri and Arsenal took the lead with a 2-1 score. Olympiacos threatened through a shot made by Mitroglou in the 60’. The effort of Koscielny missed the target in the 63’. Mannone reacted properly to the shot made by David Fuster in the 70’.
During the last minutes, Olympiacos put some pressure to equalize the match and in the 83΄ Abdoun’s shot ended out. In the 89΄ it was the hosts’ turn to threaten, as after Cazorla’s effort, Giroud shot and the ball ended corner after the intervention made by Maniatis.
While Olympiacos put pressure upon Arsenal to equalize and all payers were in the box of the Gunners, in the third minute of the extra time Ramsey found himself in front of Megyeri and taking smoothly the ball he formed the final score 3-1.
ARSENAL: Mannone, Vermaelen, Koscielny, Arteta, Podolski (80΄ Ramsey), Chamberlain (71’ Walcott), Cazorla, Coquelin, Jenkinson, Gervinho (80΄ Giroud), Gibbs.
OLYMPIACOS: Megyeri, Maniatis, Machado (80΄ Pantelic), Contreras, Fuster, Holebas, Siovas, Manolas, Diakite (73’ Ibagaza), Greco (67’Abdoun), Mitroglou.
