Olympiacos claim three important points in Heraklion
SUPER LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 20
Olympiacos protected first place of the Super League standings with an important 1-0 triumph over OFI in Heraklion.
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The Erythrolefki, playing without Daniel Podence who is expected to complete his transfer to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the coming days, weren’t at their flowing best on Cretan soil. Nevertheless, after Mohamed Camara had scored on the brink of the half-time break, Olympiacos subsequently calmly controlled proceedings in the second set of 45 minutes to earn a key victory which keeps them in first place of the Super League.
On the flip side for the Piraeus-based organisation, Ruben Semedo received a red card for Olympiacos after a scrap had developed at the end of the game, meaning he will miss the upcoming derby against AEK.
At the moment, Olympiacos boast a four-point advantage over second-placed PAOK, but the Dikefalos tou Vorra can reduce the gap to a single point if they defeat Lamia on the road tomorrow.
OFI sit in fifth position of the table with just one victory in their last six Super League games.
At the weekend, Olympiacos will face AEK at the Olympic Stadium, while OFI make the trip to Xanthi.
THE MATCH
Olympiacos had the first opportunity in the 13th minute. Connecting with Konstantinos Tsimikas’ cross from the left wing, Guilherme took aim with a rising header, but his attempt missed the target.
Not long later, Giorgos Masouras thought he had given Olympiacos the lead, but his effort at close range was ruled out for offside.
OFI, although they didn’t threaten on a regular basis, wasted a great chance in the 21st minute.
Unmarked on the right side of the box, Paschalis Staikos unleashed a fierce strike which flew inches wide.
A miss which was punished in the final minute of the half.
Brilliantly stealing the ball from Konstantinos Giannoulis, prolific forward Youssef El Arabi found Camara in space, who beat the goalkeeper with a low shot arrowed into the left corner.
OFI came close to shooting themselves in the foot at the start of the second half. Under pressure from an opponent, Giorgos Koutroubis sent a wayward pass to his goalkeeper, and the ball rolled just past the right post with Dimitris Sotiriou helpless.
For the most part, Olympiacos were content with simply keeping OFI away from their goal, however Ousseynou Ba and El Arabi did miss promising chances to extend the lead.
Unfortunately for Olympiacos, their victory was marred by a red card to Semedo for a scuffle after the match had ended.
THE TEAMS
OFI: Sotiriou, Korovesis, Giannoulis, Koutroubis, Marinakis, Mellado, Semedo, Staikos (Ferreyra 74’), Neira, Vaz (Nikokyrakis 86’), Figueiredo.
Olympiacos: Sa, Tsimikas, Ba, Semedo, Elabdellaoui, Camara, Guilherme, Bouchalakis, Valbuena (Soudani 76’), Masouras (Lovera 69’), El Arabi.
HIGHLIGHTS
