Martins happy with effectiveness, Pantelidis frustrated
Following the emphatic 4:1 triumph against Aris at the Karaiskakis Stadium, Olympiacos boss Pedro Martins was happy with his players’ effectiveness, while his opposite number Savvas Pantelidis departed Piraeus feeling frustrated.
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Aris made a strong start in Piraeus, but after Giannis Fetfatzidis failed to score when clean through, Giorgos Masouras tapped home from point blank range for Olympiacos before Portuguese attacker Daniel Podence’s curled attempt was deflected past Julian Cuesta. In the second half, Aris’ impressive play was rewarded with a marker from Nicolas Martinez, but Podence then reinstated Olympiacos’ two-goal advantage with a wonderful individual effort. Miguel Angel Guerrero put the cherry on the cake for the hosts as he headed into the net in the dying moments.
Olympiacos manager Pedro Martins admitted that the score didn’t reflect Aris’ play “Yes, I believe that our victory was deserved, but the scoreline does not show the effort which Aris gave,” revealed the 48-year-old Portuguese manager. “Aris created difficulties for us. However, unlike the Greek Cup match against Lamia and other games, we were very effective in front of goal. We were hugely efficient when presented with an opportunity. I would like to congratulate Olympiacos with the club’s 94th anniversary, we’re happy to make the fans happy with our win.
Next week, we know how important the derby against Panathinaikos is for the supporters, and we will try our best to win all remaining six matches. Giorgos Masouras? When he joined us, he needed to improve tactically, but he deserves to play for Olympiacos and he has developed a lot. Ahmed Hassan’s injury? We will discover the extent of his injury in 24 hours’ time.”
Aris head coach Savvas Pantelidis lamented Olympiacos’ ruthlessness at the Karaiskakis Stadium: “When I look at the score, I can’t quite understand what happened.” stated Pantelidis. “I cannot remember a match when the opponents were so effective with their chances. They scored four goals after only attempting six shots. I am frustrated with the third and fourth goals which we conceded. During the game, Olympiacos didn’t threaten us, but their quality allowed them to score goals.
The opponents scored their first goal just one minute after Giannis Fetfatzidis missed a fantastic chance. Olympiacos’ two quickfire goals shocked us. We know have to move on to future matches.”
The in-form Giorgos Masouras, who opened the scoring in Piraeus, is dreaming of scoring against Panathinaikos in next week’s Eternal Derby: “We all know what this derby means for Greek football, and like any other child who wanted to play for Olympiacos, I have dreamt of scoring against Panathinaikos. All we can do for the remainder of the season is win matches. Before today, we had been too profligate with our chances in games, and it hurt us. We want to improve this component of our game. I want the Olympiacos fans to continue supporting us so that we can achieve our targets.”
Aris defender Fran Velez pointed to the chances which the visitors missed: “We had three or four opportunities in the opening 25 minutes, but we failed to take advantage of them. We were unlucky today. Olympiacos scored two goals within a short period of time, and we have to analyse our mistakes and continue working. Our goal is to secure fifth place in the table, but we would also like to move into fourth spot if we can. You never know.”
Olympiacos left-back Leonardo Koutris also shared his impressions from the Super League clash with the media: “In the opening stages, Aris had some opportunities after the mistakes which we made, but our goals changed the course of the game. The most important thing is that we gave the supporters something to cheer about on the club’s birthday. Our upcoming derby against Panathinaikos? It’s the biggest match-up in Greece. We need a victory for the Olympiacos family.”
