Last minute heroics keeping Olympiacos alive in title race
Last minute heroics keeping Olympiacos alive in title race
In the Super League alone, Olympiacos have scored seven goals in the final minutes of play, something which has helped the Piraeus giants stay within striking distance of leaders PAOK. AGONAsport investigates.
Olympiacos come alive when their life is on the line. Under new Portuguese manager Pedro Martins, the Erythrolefkoi have displayed the spirit which was so patently missing last season, saving themselves from potentially damaging situations with 90th minute heroics. So far, Olympiacos have scored seven goals in the last minutes of Super League matches in just 11 rounds, with the likes of Bibars Natcho, Ahmed Hassan and Jagos Vukovic stealing points for Olympiacos when it seemed the fate of the game was already sealed.
Let’s take a closer look at those seven goals and what impact they had on Olympiacos’ fortunes:
September 2, Olympiacos - PAS Giannina - 5:0 (Guerrero 90’, Meriah 90+2’)
The fate of this match had already been decided long before Olympiacos struck twice in stoppage time. Twisting beyond his markers, Spanish hitman Miguel Angel Guerrero created space for himself inside the penalty area, firing a low effort under the sprawling PAS Giannina goalkeeper. In the second minute of stoppage time, centre-back Yassine Meriah lashed in at point blank range, completing a resounding 5:0 victory at the Karaiskakis Stadium.
September 16, Olympiacos - Asteras Tripolis - 2:1 (Natcho 90+2’)
Veteran Israeli midfielder Bibars Natcho was only introduced as a substitute after 84 minutes, but in the early stages of stoppage time, the 30-year old hammered in a crucial winner for the Thrylos. With the game locked at 1:1 in the 92nd minute, Guerrero cushioned a delicate header into the path of the onrushing Natcho, who calmly stroked a pinpoint effort into the right corner past stricken Nikos Papadopoulos. Mohamed Camara’s stunner had earlier been cancelled out by Martin Tonso.
September 24, Panionios - Olympiacos - 0:1 (Hassan 90+2’)
There’s a question whether Olympiacos should have even won this match in the first place. Midway through the second half, Giorgos Masouras appeared to have given Panionios a deserved lead at the Nea Smyrni Stadium, however his goal was wrongly disallowed for offside. In response, Olympiacos snatched a crucial win at the death, as substitute Egyptian forward Ahmed Hassan planted a perfect header in to break Panionios hearts.
October 29, Olympiacos - Apollon Smyrnis - 1:0 (Manos 89’)
Ahead of this game, strugglers Apollon Smyrnis hadn’t tallied a single point in the Super League, however the Rizoupoli outfit were mightily close to recording a famous result in Piraeus. In the 88th minute, they were stubbornly holding out, but Olympiacos eventually registered their goal. Collecting the ball in the box, tricky striker Dimitris Manos worked a shooting opening, expertly knocking an effort past the goalkeeper to send the Karaiskakis faithful wild.
November 11, Olympiacos - Panathinaikos - 1:1 (Cisse 90+5’)
An incredible nine (!) minutes of stoppage time were indicated in the Eternal Derby, and in the fifth, Senegalese defender Pape Abou Cisse popped up with a dramatic equaliser to save Olympiacos from the jaws of defeat. Playing as a striker, Cisse connected with Omar Elabdellaoui’s headed pass, bundling the ball over the line to make it 1:1. Ergys Kace had given Panathinaikos the lead with a stunning shot.
November 25, Atromitos - Olympiacos - 1:2 (Vukovic 90+3)
Peristeri has become one of the toughest places to visit in Greece. Atromitos, coached by the wily Damir Canadi, were unbeaten in the 2018/2019 season, however they were undone by a last gasp header from Olympiacos’ Serbian defender Jagos Vukovic. Lurking at the back post, Vukovic was left unmarked by the home defence, allowed to steer home a headed shot from a difficult angle. Efthymis Koulouris had scored for Atromitos in the first half and Mohamed Camara found an equaliser.
by Shaun Nicolaides
Image Source: to10.gr
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