Milan latest European giant to fall short at Karaiskakis

AC Milan became the latest European giant to be slayed at the vociferous Karaiskakis Stadium, dropping a 1:3 defeat to Olympiacos on Thursday to exit the UEFA Europa League. AGONAsport looks at the Erythrolefkoi’s previous triumphs against the big names.

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The Karaiskakis Stadium knows how to intimidate opponents. Over the years, Olympiacos have claimed the scalps of Europe’s best, and they repeated the trick on Thursday with an astounding 3:1 victory against AC Milan inside a sold out arena. In connection with the memorable triumph, AGONAsport looks back at Olympiacos’ biggest victories in Piraeus since the 2009/2010 season commenced:

ARSENAL

09/12/2009, Olympiacos - Arsenal - 1:0, UEFA Champions League group stage

06/11/2011, Olympiacos - Arsenal - 3:1, UEFA Champions League group stage

04/12/2012, Olympiacos - Arsenal - 2:1, UEFA Champions League group stage

In the past nine years, Arsenal have visited the Karaiskakis Stadium on four occasions, and Olympiacos have beaten them three times! The sole defeat came in the 2015/2016 season when Arsenal triumphed 3:0 on matchday six of the Champions League group phase.

In the 2009/2010 season, Olympiacos needed a draw against Arsenal to confirm their progression to the next round, however they went one better with a 1:0 victory thanks to Leonardo’s goal on 47 minutes. Two years later, the Thrylos defeated Arsenal 3:1 with Rafik Djebbour, David Fuster and Francois Modesto hitting the target, but as a result of Marseille’s dramatic win at Borussia Dortmund, Olympiacos were forced to settle for third place.

Next season, the Erythrolefkoi once again welcomed Arsenal to Piraeus in the final group stage match, but they were already out of the running for a spot in the Last 16. Nevertheless, Olympiacos pulled off an impressive victory, as Giannis Maniatis and Konstantinos Mitroglou sealed a morale boosting 2:1 win in the second half. Tomas Rosicky had initially given Arsenal the lead in the first frame.

BORUSSIA DORTMUND

19/10/2011, Olympiacos - Borussia Dortmund - 2:1, UEFA Champions League group stage

Olympiacos’ Champions League had began terribly. In the first two games, the Thrylos fell 0:1 at home to Marseille and 1:2 on the road against Arsenal, and they faced a daunting task to defeat a talented, aggressive Borussia Dortmund team. However, with the support of their passionate fans, Olympiacos rose to the occasion and emerged victorious 3:1. Jose Cholevas’ opener had been cancelled out by the prolific Robert Lewandowski, but after that blow, Djebbour and Modesto scored to snatch a 3:1 win.

BENFICA

05/11/2013, Olympiacos - Benfica - 1:0, UEFA Champions League group stage

This was the game which proved to be crucial in Group C. Olympiacos finished level on 10 points with Benfica, but due to the Greeks’ superior head-to-head record (1:1 in Lisbon, 1:0 in Piraeus), they were granted a place in the Last 16 while Benfica qualified for the Europa League.

On 13 minutes, centre-back Kostas Manolas scored the only goal of the game, climbing above his markers to thump a firm header beyond the Benfica goalkeeper. A vital win against a strong Benfica side containing the likes of Nemanja Matic, Luisao and Nicolas Gaitan.

MANCHESTER UNITED

25/02/2014, Olympiacos - Manchester United - 2:0, UEFA Champions League Last 16

Sadly, Olympiacos fell 0:3 in the second leg in Manchester to bow out of the competition, but the 2:0 victory at the Karaiskakis Stadium will always be remembered with fondness. In front of a pumped up crowd, the hosts gave an incredible performance against the illustrious visitors, registering two deserved goals in a pulsating 2:0 triumph. In the first half, Argentinian attacker Alejandro Dominguez scored with a delightful deflection, and Joel Campbell curled in a fantastic second from distance. A truly incredible night.

ATLETICO MADRID

16/09/2014, Olympiacos - Atletico Madrid - 3:2, UEFA Champions League group stage

The draw wasn’t kind. Olympiacos were placed in Group A with Atletico Madrid, Juventus and Malmo, and the Thrylos eventually transferred to the Europa League with nine points. In the opening game, 2013/2014 Champions League finalists Atletico came to town, but Olympiacos sprung a surprise.

Olympiacos came flying out of the blocks. Arthur Masuaku broke the deadlock within 13 minutes, and on the half hour mark, former Barcelona midfielder Ibrahim Afellay doubled Olympiacos’ money. Mario Mandzukic got Atletico on the board, but in the second half, Mitroglou twisted and scored from inside the box to reinstate the two goal lead.

Antoine Griezmann made it a nervy finish, however Olympiacos held on!

JUVENTUS

22/10/2014, Olympiacos - Juventus - 1:0, UEFA Champions League group stage

Admittedly, this win didn’t help Olympiacos qualify for the Last 16, but any win against such a huge team as Juventus is worth a mention. In an even contest, Juventus originally had Carlos Tevez’s goal ruled out for offside, however Olympiacos scored the decisive goal as Pajtim Kasami stroked into the bottom left corner when in space on the edge of the area. A goal worthy of winning a high level match.

AC MILAN

13/12/2018, Olympiacos - AC Milan - 3:1, UEFA Europa League group stage

Perhaps, this was the sweetest victory of them all. Few thought Olympiacos were capable of beating AC Milan by two goals, but the Erythrolefkoi had other ideas, surging to a stunning 3:1 triumph to oust the Italians and qualify from Group F in second place with winners Real Betis.

Pape Abou Cisse and Cristian Zapata’s own goal had handed Olympiacos their lead in the second half, but moments after scoring at the wrong end, Zapata bundled the ball over the line to grab the goal Milan needed to progress. It appeared as though Olympiacos’ chance had gone, but with nine minutes remaining, Ignazio Abate fouled Vasilis Torosidis in the penalty box and Konstantinos Fortounis converted the ensuing spot kick. Cue pandemonium in Piraeus.

Interestingly this was also the first time in 18 years (2000/2001 UEFA Cup) when AC Milan failed to pass the group stage of a European competition.

by Shaun Nicolaides

Image Source: sdna.gr

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