A Non-Stop Train

AGONAsport’s Olympiacos contributor, Theo Bouras, looks back at the Erythrolefki’s 2-0 win against PAOK at home in the Greek Cup semi-finals.

Watch LIVE GREEK TV including full GREEK SPORTS coverage with Go Greek TV! 

When you’re hot, you’re hot. Olympiacos hardly played their best game on Wednesday against PAOK in the second leg of the Greek Cup semi-final stage, but the Super League leaders still emerged victorious. Unfortunately for the Dikefalos tou Vorra, they found out that when you’re cold, the only way to really get hot is by taking a shower.

A Long Awaited Final Return

The last time when Olympiacos competed in the final of the Greek Cup was in 2016. The Erythrolefki lost that final to AEK, in what will always be remembered as the infamous “Stavros Kontonis Cup Final”. The Minister of the Athletic Department delayed the cup final by nearly two months after the season ended. While AEK got to compete in the European playoffs for six weeks, remaining match-fit with games on a weekly basis, Olympiacos stayed idle; and their rust showed in their ensuing 2-1 defeat.

Since then, PAOK have dominated the Greek Cup by winning three consecutive titles. On Wednesday, Abel Ferreira’s team came into Greece possessing a marginal 3-2 lead, but looked like they wanted to hang on to a 0-0 draw for the entire 90 minutes. The Erythrolefki, on the other hand, looked to have a bigger appetite to attack, even if they struggled to create many chances during the first half.

Seeing that his team wasn’t playing to his expectations, Pedro Martins replaced Andreas Bouchalakis before the end of the first half. Bouchalakis was flirting with a second yellow card so Martins was cautious. Inserting Kostas Fortounis into the game gave the Legend a much needed boost in the attacking third of the pitch. Fortounis continues to try to find his footing, but playing in consecutive games will only help his quest to get back into full form.

Olympiacos ultimately scored twice in the second half to earn qualification. The passion displayed by the entire squad during the celebrations reiterated what we have said all year; this team is a family. The chemistry is so obvious that you’d be hard-pressed to find a past Olympiacos team that has had a tighter knit feel.

Towards the end of the game, Mady Camara’s goal caused a bit of havoc in the PAOK bench but in reality, last year’s Greek champions have nobody to blame but themselves. PAOK has been a shell of themselves from last year and have now lost to Olympiacos three times -  twice at home - in a span of six playing weeks! In a season where they have benefitted from scheduling, officiating and the governing group of Greek football, PAOK will most likely finish third with no silverware.

A Team for the Ages

When the history books look back at the year 2020, the coronavirus crisis will be highlighted much like the way we analyse world wars, pandemics and landmark occasions. In the Olympiacos and Greek football history books, a case can be made that this team might go down as the greatest of all-time.

Olympiacos have been playing competitive football since July 23rd, 2019 and have been a runaway train. The Erythrolefki are still undefeated in the Super League, they’re favourites to win the Greek Cup and have a wonderful chance to qualify for the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League.

The days of Oscar Garcia managing the likes of Panagiotis Tachtsidis and Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe are long gone. In a span of less than 24 months, this team has gone from major disciplinary issues and utter embarrassment to a Greek championship, with a chance to make European history.

Seeing team owner, Evangelos Marinakis, congratulate the players as they left the pitch yesterday really showcased what kind of emotional investment the shipping tycoon has for this team. If this administration continues the hard work and proper planning, this roster might get even better this summer. The best is yet to come.

Thank you for visiting AGONAsport.com, the only English based website for Greek sports fans across the world! Like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter for all the latest news in Greek Sports!