Ranđelović at the double for irresistible Olympiacos
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - PLAY OFFS (LEG 1)
Olympiacos put one foot firmly in the Champions League group stage on Wednesday after securing an impressive 4-0 win over FC Krasnodar in the first leg of their playoff tie at the Georgios Karaiskakis stadium in Athens.
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Miguel Angel Guerrero’s first-half goal set the hosts on their way, but it was three goals in a breathless 12-minute spell in the second half which put Krasnodar on the ropes and the home fans on cloud nine.
That included a double from second-half substitute Lazar Ranđelović, and a late Daniel Podence lob which did the damage and earned a superb win for the home side in Piraeus.
The victory puts Pedro Martins’ Thrylos team in an excellent position to qualify for the lucrative group stages at Europe’s top table, with what now looks like a simple task of keeping the Russians at bay in next week’s second leg to claim their place in the group stage draw on August 29.
The losers of the tie will enter Europa League group stage draw 24 hours later on August 30.
THE MATCH
Olympiacos came into this match having enjoyed a dominant qualifying campaign, reaching this point having kept four clean sheets. A large chunk of the credit for that statistic goes to goalkeeper José Sá, and they knew that they would need all of the Portuguese shot-stopper’s expertise against Champions League newcomers Krasnodar.
The slick Russians made a huge statement of their intentions in the third qualifying round, defeating Portuguese giants FC Porto 3-2 in Portugal to progress despite losing the first leg 1-0 at home.
There was also a familiar face among the lineup for Krasnodar in Swedish striker Marcus Berg, who scored 73 goals in 115 games for Thrylos’ arch-rivals Panathinaikos from 2013-17.
The match started at a frenetic pace, with both teams quickly looking to attack as soon as they gained possession. Olympiacos, with the backing of a frenzied home crowd who were clearly on song, began brightly and the Krasnodar defence had to be on their guard.
This match also marked the first time VAR was used in a game on Greek soil, and the first use came after 10 minutes when Krasnodar made claims for a penalty for handball when the ball bounced off Guilherme.
There was no penalty awarded, however, and Olympiacos responded with a spell of pressure that ended with Ruben Semedo sending a wayward acrobatic volley wide.
From then on the two teams took turns to attack, but neither side could get their final ball right and far too often play was broken up at the crucial stage, meaning clear scoring chances were few and far between.
And then, on the half-hour mark, came the vital breakthrough for the home side. A lapse in concentration in the Krasnodar defence allowed Guerrero some space and time on the edge of the penalty area.
With defenders backing off him, the Spaniard took a touch before curling a delicious low shot in off the post to make it 1-0 and spark jubilant celebrations among the home fans.
Olympiacos continued to be the dominant force in terms of possession into the second half, but as the match wore on Krasnodar began to threaten Jose Sa’s goal. The closest the Russians came to scoring though was an effort from Berg after 68 minutes, the Swede curling a shot just wide after good work from Wanderson.
Despite the visitors’ efforts to try and level the match, it was Olympiacos who added to the scoreline with what may prove to be a vital second goal after 78 minutes when Ranđelović netted just two minutes after coming on to replace Giorgos Masouras.
The young Serbian striker latched on to a perfect through ball from French playmaker Mathieu Valbuena, and scored with a deflected shot which looped over visiting goalkeeper Matvay Safonov.
Ranđelović then had the home fans in dreamland with five minutes left when he beat Safonov again with a powerful, low shot from the edge of the penalty area.
There was still time for one more goal as Daniel Podence got on the scoresheet with a great lob to wrap up a brilliant win as the visitors collapsed in the closing stages, with three goals in 12 minutes changing the tie completely.
STARTING LINEUPS
Olympiacos:1 José Sá (GK), 3 Ruben Semedo, 5 Bouchalakis, 8 Guilherme, 9 Guerrero, 10 Daniel Podence, 14 Elabdellaoui ©, 19 Masouras, 20 Meriah, 21 Tsimikas, 28 Valbuena
Krasnodar: 39 Safonov (GK), 3 Fjóluson, 5 Spajić ©, 6 Ramirez, 7 Cabella, 10 Wanderson, 21 Namli, 33 Berg, 52 Vilhena, 77 Kambolov, 98 S. Petrov
