After the conclusion of the Olympiacos-Bodø/Glimt match at “G. Karaiskakis,” Olympiacos’ President Evangelos Marinakis stated:
“Tonight, we witnessed almost everything. That is, Olympiacos had nine shots on target, FK Bodø/Glimt had just one, yet they scored. Olympiacos had eleven corners, FK Bodø/Glimt had none. Nevermind, a lot happened… You will see the stats anyway. A missed penalty, every refereeing decision against us – but what truly matters is what happened in the first match. As I told the players, we played on a pitch that is not like other European stadiums. We saw what happened there. We suffered injuries, we played both legs without our two center-forwards, and as soon as Kostoulas came on, he got injured due to the pitch conditions. But what is most important, and I told the players this, is the mentality of a champion. Even with ten men, with Retsos as the goalkeeper, we still created three scoring chances and could have won by a bigger margin. I repeat, with ten players, everything going against us, yet you saw the team’s incredible fight to win by a greater margin and qualify.
It was an emotional moment, you saw it with the fans, who never stopped singing and supporting our players. We truly believed we would qualify tonight and go all the way. I think this was one of the most unfair eliminations, both statistically and in terms of what unfolded on the pitch. However, we gained invaluable insights about our team, our coach, and our supporters. I told the guys to rest, stay focused, and return fully prepared for the playoffs, to win the championship, win every match, and claim the Greek Cup so we can conclude with a domestic double to celebrate the club’s centennial anniversary. We deserve it, the players deserve it, our coach deserves it, and above all, this incredible fanbase deserves it”.
He then added: “You can see the effort. You see Mouzakitis, an 18-year-old youngster coming on and giving everything, playing like an experienced professional in European competitions – providing an assist, taking shots. You saw what happened tonight. We are extremely satisfied. It is a unique feeling to watch these players perform, academy graduates, our own boys, united with the rest of the team. Karaiskakis Stadium, as I have said before… This stadium gives you energy. You see how the crowd lifts the players’ spirit. Even though we were trailing 1-0 at halftime, the fans pushed the team forward in the second half, and you saw what happened. If we had converted the penalty, the game would have played out differently. I congratulated the players and we’re pleased. Certainly, we are also deeply disappointed because I truly believed we would advance. I had even said it: no matter how many goals we needed, we would score them. But we could not predict the missed penalty, nor that they would clear two or three shots off the line. We are very proud”.
When asked about Olympiacos’ potential return to the Champions League, the club’s leader responded:
“That is undoubtedly where Olympiacos belongs, and we are returning with a lot of experience and more trophies. I believe this team will give us many great European nights, just as we have witnessed in the Champions League, both in Greece and abroad. This team has a future, it has resilience, and it makes us proud”.
