Roberto was the goalkeeper, with Salino, Cholevas, Manolas and Siovas in defense. Maniatis, Samaris formed the midfield duo, with Saviola placed a bit in front. Yatabare and Fuster were picked for the wings, whereas Mitroglou played atop the attack.
The opening ten minutes were far from ideal for Olympiacos. Benfica managed to create two dangerous one-on-one chances for Roberto’s goal.
It didn’t take that long for Olympiacos to react. Cholevas took on the corner kick and Manolas rose to power home a header past Artur and turn it into 1-0 in favor of our Legend!
From that moment on, the first half passed with Benfica overwhelmed with stress. Olympiacos produced their play, kept possession of the ball and tried to make it 2-0.
The second half kicked off with Benfica making an aggressive start, however Roberto’s fine saves kept a clean sheet. Olympiacos could not keep the ball on their feet and thus Benfica would add on the pressure as time went by.
Despite being under heavy pressure, Olympiacos defense and more than anyone our Spanish goalkeeper kept our side on top. Actually, it was Olympiacos that almost scored its second, but Salino following a marvelous charge at goal, failed to beat Artur.
A few minutes later, the match referee blew the final whistle, “sealing” a great victory for Olympiacos that brought our side one step closer to qualifying for Europe’s top 16!
OLYMPIACOS: Roberto, Salino, Cholevas, Manolas, Siovas, Samaris, Maniatis, Yatabare (56ʼ N’Dinga), Fuster (74ʼ Bong), Saviola (46ʼ Dominguez), Mitroglou.
