Olympiacos extends UEFA Cup plans

By: Peter Katsiris | October 3rd, 2008

It was a triumphant night for the Greek Champions who ran out 5-0 winners over Danish side FC Nordsjaelland to seal a spot in the group stages of the UEFA Cup. Despite many regulars absent for tonight’s deciding fixture, Olympiacos still managed to find a steady beat in their offensive and defensive duties to overpower their guests.

Olympiacos were expected to succeeded, as an emphatic win was what was expected and it was the only result that would accepted by the club’s loyal supporters. Aware of the pressures on his club, Greece international Vassilios Torosidis initiated celebrations in Piraeus as early as the eleventh minute mark. A centering pass from Sebastian Leto was left untouched by the Nordsjaelland defense, allowing Torosidis to storm the box and tap in his first goal of the season.

Diogo Santo opened his account with the club in European competition on the half hour mark. Stretching himself for a pinpoint cross, the Brazilian beat his marker to send a powerful header past Nordsjaelland keeper Jesper Hansen.

After doubling his team’s tally, Diogo decided to double his own. The Brazilian struck again two minutes before halftime, thanks to clever pass from Fernando Belluschi. Almost a mirror image of the first goal, Belluschi slotted the ball between the Nordsjaelland defense and an alert Diogo was able to slot home his second with ease.

The second half, although mandatory, was billed to be a smooth ride for Olympiacos. It was just desserts for the Greek club as further goals only added to their tally. Darko Kovacevic, a second half substitute for Diogo, impressed as he collected two goals himself. The first came off a corner, where the ball fell to the Serb who with a clever touch beat the Jensen with a bouncing effort. Nordsjaelland, who posed a threat in Denmark, did not have an answer on this night. Already reduced to ten men — when Andreas Dahl was dismissed just before the hour mark – Nordsjaelland fell into more misery when Kovacevic sealed the rout. A proper passing play between Leto and Didier Domi ended with a cross to Kovacevic, who slotted home the last tally of the match.

A 5-0 win on this night, only summarized a dominant performance by the Greek Champions, who sealed progression with a 7-0 aggregate score. Olympiakos will now face a potential tough task when the club’s fate is decided on October 7th, as UEFA holds the draw for the group stage — round of 40.

As for Nordsjaelland, they face an exit from European competition with their primary focus now being survival in their respective domestic competition.

Olympiacos 5-0 FC Nordsjaelland
Torosidis 11’, Diogo 30’, 42’, Kovacevic 72’, 80’

Yellow Cards:
Olympiacos – Leto 52’.
FC Nordsjaelland – Dahl 17’, 57’, Karlsen 36’, Richter 59’.

Red Cards:
Olympiacos – none.
FC Nordsjaelland – Dahl 57’ (double booking).

Olympiacos (Ernesto Valverde): Nikopolidis, Antzas, Papadopoulos, Domi, Torosidis, Zewlakow, Belluschi (66′ Oscar), Leto, Galitsios, Diogo (59′ Kovacevic), Mendrinos.

FC Nordsjaelland (Morten Wieghorst): Hansen, Kibebe, Kildentoft, Lundberg, S. Richter, Karlsen (67′ Christensen), Bernier, Storm, Dahl, J. Richter (83′ Cagara), Pedersen (63′ Fetai).

Referee: Igor Egorov (Russia)
Assistant referee: Vladislav Khodeev (Russia), Andrey Malorodov (Russia)
Fourth official: Maxim Layushkin (Russia)

Venue: Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Athens, Greece