Mr Michel opted for a 4-3-3 formation, with both Mitroglou and Djebbour in the starting line-up. In details, our side featured: Carroll under the post, Giannis Maniatis defending on the right, Charalambos Lykogiannis on the left, and Contreras with Siovas as the centre-backs..
In the midfield, the trio consisted of Fejsa, Greco and Machado. The Serbian had purely “stopper” duties, the Italian moving on his left forward and Paulo, moving to the right, but with enough freedom to move around in the pitch and build-up our side’s game. On the attack, Mr Mr MÍchel sent Vlachodimos in the battle on the right, Djebbour charging from the left and Kostas Mitroglou atop.
The match kicked off with the crowd shouted loud enough to push our side to victory and qualification. In the very 2’ minute, Barkero took a shot but missed wide. The same happened with Machado’s effort a few seconds later when the ball came to him smoothly and he took a shot on the move, while outside Levante’s box. The ball flew narrowly off the top of Navas’ crossbar.
Olympiacos wanted to register a goal early enough. Our players’ moves in the opening 5 minutes were swift, yet not hasty. The build-up would start from the back, with Contreras receiving originally the ball and setting up our squad’s offensive try.
Things were either way very difficult already for our side, since it had to recover the first-leg deficit; however they became even harder before even 10 minutes had elapsed. In 9’, Barkero took the corner kick, and unmarked Martins headed in from inside the box, turning the match into 1-0 for Levante.
Levante missed another good chance in the 17’ minute, when Barkero made the through pass to Martins, who shot wide off the goal from as far as the eighteen-yards. That goal affected gravely Olympiacos players’ composure, who had now to score at least 5 goals. They came really close to score in 18’, when Greco set up Mitroglou nicely inside the penalty area. The Greek forward tapped the ball in, took a turn and shot it, but missed narrowly and the ball landed on the outside of Navas’ net.
Olympiacos came once again very close to mark, when Fejsa took a powerful shot from outside the box, it got deflected and flew an inch off Navas’ left post for an Olympiacos corner kick. The “red-and-whites” were more offensive-minded than the players of Levante, but didn’t manage to penetrate the multi-man defense of the Spaniards. There have been moments in which all eleven Levante players were in their own half of the pitch.
Panagiotis Vlachodimos made a personal charge and took the shot, saved by Navas, in 31’, which “warmed up” all Olympiacos fans a bit more. A great try by the young “star” of our side. Ljubomir Fejsa took a strong shot, coming from the middle ad quite off Levante’s area, but he missed.
In 38’, MÍchel also took a shot just outside the box, yet Carroll had no reason to worry. Vlachodimos delivered a return crossing from the right in 39’, Machado took the volley kick, but the ball flew off. Panagiotis Vlachodimos had another good shot in 44’, when he saw the ball flying off from Navas right post; that had been the last play in the first half, since nothing changed until the final whistle for the break.
During the break, MÍchel made two subs. He sent Cholevas into battle for Lykogiannis and also Fetfadzidis for Greco. He changed into a 4-4-2 formation, with Machado and Fejsa in the center midfield, “Fetfa” coming from the left, Vlachodimos from the right, Vlachodimos from the right, and Mitroglou with Djebbour on the offense. Our side tried since the kick-off of the 2nd half to enter the pitch more aggressively and win the match, although the idea of “qualifying” would seem…impossible to get. Nothing in football and in life is unfeasible and its players kept fighting for their chances.
In 49’, Vlachodimos turned the ball neatly in from the right to Djebbour, who controlled it smoothly κοντρόλαρε, turned and launched a powerful, yet weak, shot off the left post. A beautiful squaring from Vlachodimos to Djebbour in 61’ produced nothing, since, despite beautiful effort by the Algerian for the header, missed the ball for inches!
Jose Cholevas has entered the pitch with zest and one minute later (62’) he made a nice drive from the left, entered the pitch and took the shot. Levante could hardly pass the center line. Rafik Djebbour missed a good opportunity in 71’, when Vlachodimos turned the ball in from the right and the Algerian tried to meet the ball in travel but missed for a few centimeters. In 75’, MÍchel replaced Kostas Mitroglou with Ariel Ibagaza.
In 90΄, Siovas, following a corner kick by Cholevas, headed the ball in but Navas saved it with his fingertips.
Nothing changed until the final whistle and Olympiacos lost 1-0 to Levante.
OLYMPIACOS: Carroll, Maniatis, Lykogiannis (46’ Cholevas), Contreras, Σιόβας, Fejsa, Machado, Greco (46’ Fetfatzidis), Vlachodimos, Djebbour, Mitroglou(75’ Ibagaza).
LEVANTE: Navas, Rodas, Juanfran, Navaro, Ballesteros, Iborra, MÍchel(86΄ Dudka), Rios (68’ Valdo), Barkero, Rubén García, Martins (83΄ Acquafresca).
STADIUM: “G. Karaiskakis”
MARKSMEN: – / 9’ Martins
REFEREE: Μ. Jug (Slovenia)
ASSISTANT REFEREES: P. Arhar , An. Kokolj (Slovenia)
ADDITIONAL ASSISTANT REFEREES: D. Perič , D. Balažić (Slovenia)
FOURTH OFFICIAL: J. Praprotnik (Slovenia)
YELLOW CARDS: 12’ Greco , 42’ Maniatis, 42’ Carroll, 51’ Cholevas, 54’ Vlachodimos , 78’ Ibagaza/ 42’ Ballesteros
RED CARDS: – / –
POSTS: – / –
