Djordjevic calls it quits

The most successful player in Olympiacos’ history, Predrag Djordjevic, revealed earlier this week he would be ending his career at season’s end. With twelve league triumphs with the Piraeus, Djordjevic is set for the final curtain as the former Serbian international prepares for life after football. It is not certain if Djordjevic will be offered a job within the organization, either as a technical director or scout, but the Serb and his patriot Darko Kovacevic will both leave gaps in the Olympiacos roster with their departure.

Mitroglou out for four weeks

Kostas Mitroglou suffered an injury while on duty with the Greek U-21 side last weekend, and the striker is expected to be out for the next four weeks – practically putting an early end to his season. Mitroglou did impress before succumbing to injury as he scored twice during Greece’s 3-1 win over neighbours F.Y.R.O.M. in Tripoli.

UEFA fines Olympiacos

The big-wigs at UEFA have fined Olympiacos a well-rounded 75,000 euros and one match behind closed doors after clashes between Olympiacos fans and those of Saint-Etienne in February. No word if Olympiacos will appeal this sanction, but most likely they won’t and will serve their second match behind in closed doors in the last two seasons – the last came in the UEFA Champions League against Lazio last year.

Already leading the tie after last week’s astonishing 3-1 win at the Giorgos Karaiskakis Stadium, Saint-Etienne capped an impressive round of thirty-two performance by handing the Greek Champions their third consecutive loss in all competitions.

Knowing nothing less than three goals would give them the slightest of chances to reach the round of sixteen, Olympiacos’ objective heading into the replay revolved around offensive responsibilities. The forecast for Saint-Etienne was not as demanding as their Greek counterparts, but Alain Perrin’s men did need to focus on defense.

Failed launch

Olympiacos manager Ernesto Valverde might have chosen the wrong formation considering the expectations of his side, and it showed through the opening few minutes of the first half. The Spaniard likely grew frustrated as he watched his squad gain possession, but produced nothing meaningful throughout the opening ten minutes — apart from Christos Patsatzoglou’s speculative effort on eight minutes.

Instead of the visitors creeping close to the game’s first goal, Saint-Etienne nearly found twine when Paulo Machado forced Antonis Nikopolidis into his first save of the evening. The former Greece international was nearly called into action soon after as a mistake in the Olympiacos defense was nearly made tragic by an inaccurate Payet.

Sebastian Leto, fresh off a two-game absence, looked to mark his return in style by releasing an effort from quite some distance. A well executed effort from the on-loan Liverpool midfielder was not too difficult to handle for Saint-Etienne ‘keeper Jeremie Janot.

Much to the dismay of the traveling supporters, the hosts returned to the offensive when Mouhamadou Dabo provided a pinpoint cross for Ilan. Given all the ingredients for a clinical finish, Nikopolidis acted quickly to deny the Brazilian of his fifth goal of the competition.

On forty-one minutes it was Leto again pushing forward for Olympiacos. He streaked down the left flank with urgency before releasing a crease-cutting effort, but the Argentine’s hard work went to waste as the ball rolled harmlessly past Janot’s goal.

Quickly returning to the offensive, Oscar led the Olympiacos charge as he attempted to punish an out-of-position Janot with a long-range effort. Untroubled by Oscar’s speculative strike, Janot managed to recover and quickly initiated a counter-attack for ‘Les Verts’.

The French fluently transitioned from defense to attack with clever passes down the right flank. Working the ball to the center of the pitch, Payet was left with plenty of space and time at the edge of the Olympiacos box, allowing the Frenchman to fire a spectacular strike past Nikopolidis. Beating the former Greece international to the right corner, Saint-Etienne further complicated Olympiacos’ hopes of progression just before the interval.

Deflated dreams

With even more prerequisites imposed on Olympiacos’ bid to reach the round of sixteen, it was no surprise that Valverde opted to introduce a second striker ahead of the restart – a move likely made too late from an Olympiacos standpoint.

Assumingly bolstered by the addition of Matt Derbyshire in attack; however, the change didn’t offer resemblance on the match outlook. Again Olympiacos started the frame unconvincingly, and with yet another inaccurate effort from Olympiacos, this time from the foot of Oscar, initiating the frame’s proceedings.

Soon after, Olympiacos’ hopes of progress were prematurely purged as Ilan reproduced a similar rendition’s of Payet’s goal to give the hosts a 2-0 lead. Having tallied in Piraeus last week, Ilan all but confirmed his side’s berth in the next round with a sweet strike to the top corner of Nikopolidis’ goal.

There was little response from Olympiacos, mainly due to their frustration as Saint-Etienne’s defense remained resolute. Disappointingly, the French looked to extend the lead on seventy minutes, but Nikopolidis routinely handled Geoffrey Dernis’ shot.

Olympiacos grabbed a consolation goal on seventy-five minutes through Oscar. The former Real Zaragoza man released a blast from outside the well outside the box, and with some help from the upright found its way past Janot.

While they managed to pull one goal back, the circumstances were just too little too late for Olympiacos. Kostas Mendrinos attempted to beat Janot just before stoppage time but his shot was just wide of the Frenchman’s goal.

With the final whistle confirming Olympiacos’ exit from the UEFA Cup, the Super League leaders now face a campaign likely already decided domestically, but attention is required in the Greek Cup. Another European campaign end on bitter terms, as Olympiacos was one of the favourites for a deep run into Europe’s second-tier competition.

With the progression, Saint-Etienne will be hoping their Ligue 1 season will improve as ‘Lez Verts; aim to escape a relegation battle in the French top flight. On European terms, Werder Bremen will be next up for the French side after the Germans overcame Italian giants AC Milan on away goals.

Both sides return to action this weekend, and Olympiacos meets with arch-rivals Panathinaikos at Karaiskaki for the latter half of the Super League’s most anticipated match. Saint-Etienne will look to put their overflowing confidence into good use when they visit principality outfit AS Monaco on Sunday.

AS Saint-Etienne 2-1 Olympiacos CFP
Payet 45′, Ilan 58′ – Oscar 75′

Yellow Cards:
AS Saint-Etienne – Tavlaridis 35′,
Olympiacos CFP – Antzas 25′, Diogo 35′, Pantos 39′, Patsatzoglou 45′ + 2′, Leto 66′, Mendrinos 84′.

AS Saint-Etienne (Alain Perrin): Janot, Varrault, Tavlaridis, Bayal, Dabo, Mirallas, Matuidi, Dernis, Payet (62′ Gigliotti), Machado, Ilan.

Olympiacos CFP (Ernesto Valverde): Nikopolidis, Pantos, Antzas, Zewlakow, Galitsios, Dudu (76′ Mendrinos), Patsatzoglou, Leto, Oscar, Torosidis (46′ Derbyshire), Diogo (65′ Mitroglou).

Referee: Paul Allaerts (Belgium)

Venue: Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne, France.

With several absentees forcing manager Ernesto Valverde to shuffle his line-up it seems unthinkable that the visitors will extend their European campaign. Even though pundits will agree the Greeks are heavy underdogs, Olympiacos does have the ability to overcome their French hosts.

Insurmountable setbacks?

With a comfortable lead atop the Greek Super League standings, an early exit from the UEFA Cup is not something Olympiacos is likely to settle for. While their domestic duties have made way for an eleven-point lead over rivals Panathinaikos and PAOK, the reality of being bounced from the final edition of the UEFA Cup is of disappointing circumstances.

A slim 1-0 loss to Ergotelis over the weekend continued the ‘Erythrolefki’s’s slide in recent weeks, as the Piraeus giants picked up their third loss of month- a cup defeat to PAOK commenced the club’s February schedule.

The apparent problem for Olympiacos has been its exposure in defense. Last week, Saint-Etienne punished the Greeks after a handful of mistakes allowed Ilan, Geoffrey Dernis, and Bafetimbi Gomis to inflate the score line in the first leg.

In addition to the club’s sloppy defensive displays in recent matches, inefficient responses in offense have also led to Olympiacos’ downfall. Certainly capable of scoring goals, Diogo has been unable to find the back of the net since tallying in his side’s 2-1 win over OFI Crete FC back in January.

Only adding to Valverde’s woes is a long list of absentees plague the Spanish boss ahead of kick-off in France. Argentine midfielder Luciano Galletti, who hasn’t played since the first leg with ‘Les Verts’, is out of the line-up and remains doubtful for Olympiacos titanic clash with arch-rivals Panathinaikos on Sunday. Compatriot Fernando Belluschi will also miss out, after scans revealed a muscle strain will sideline the former River Plate attacking midfielder for three weeks.

Defenders will also need to scramble to fill voids left by Didier Domi and Avraam Papadopoulos. Domi also faces a similar absence to that of Belluschi’s, while the flu is keeping Papadopoulos from suiting up against Saint-Etienne.

Fortunately, there is some good news for Olympiacos. On-loan Liverpool midfielder, Sebastian Leto, returns to the line-up having missed the introductory leg in Greece and his side’s trip to Crete over the weekend.

Renaissance in Saint-Etienne

While there 3-1 defeat of Olympiacos certainly made headlines in France, the Ligue 1 minnows are slowly turning things around on the domestic front as well. Still locked in a relegation battle, Saint-Etienne continued their impressive performances by holding French title-chasers Bordeaux to a 1-1 draw.

Comfortable leaders of the tie heading into the second leg, Saint-Etienne’s main objective will likely revolve around defense. Their 3-1 win in Piraeus forces Olympiacos to search for three goals in France, which leaves plenty of breathing room for Alain Perrin’s men.

Added to the fact Saint-Etienne has gone undefeated at the Geoffroy-Guichard in eight European home games, stretching back to the quarter-finals of the 1980/1981 edition of the UEFA Cup.

‘Keeper Jeremie Janot came under heavy fire in Greece last week, and with Olympiacos in a desperate state to score goals, the French shot stopper could be forced into action on my occasions.

Playing in front of the net minder will be Greek defender Stathis Tavlaridis, and the experienced central defender will be looked upon to keep close tabs on Olympiacos striker Diogo. Managing to contain the Brazilian last week, if Tavlaridis is able to reproduce his performance, Saint-Etienne should be celebrating a berth in the round of sixteen by the final whistle.

Reincarnation

As Olympiacos’ European ambitions faintly linger, the ‘Eryhtrolefki’ are urged to recreate a similar performance to their blowout victories against Benfica and Hertha Berlin from the group stages. A meeting in France only complicates the immediate future for the Greek titleholders. A much anticipated match with arch-rivals Panathinaikos on the weekend commences a string of domestic derbies that end with a double date with Thessaloniki’s PAOK FC. Joy for Saint-Etienne would mark a gloomy end for Olympiacos’ seemingly decided domestic campaign. On the flip side, progression for the French could spell a revival for Saint-Etienne’s Ligue 1 campaign.

AS Saint-Etienne (Alain Perrin): Viviani, Varrauly, Tavlaridis, Payet, Ilan, Gigliotti, Mirallas, Dernis, Matuidi, Janot, Hautcouer, Gomis, Dabo, Matsui, Sauget, Machado, Bayal, Benalouane.

Olympiacos CFP (Ernesto Valverde): Nikopolidis, Kovac, Pantos, Torosidis, Patsatzoglou, Djordjevic, Antzas, Zewlakow, Mitroglou, Dudu, Leto, Derbyshire, Oscar, Leonardo, Mendrinos, Diogo, Galitsios.

Tough Task
If you are an Olympiacos supporter, I don’t have to tell you that being down 3-1 on aggregate and needing a 3 goal win away is a more difficult task than a chinese kid trying to win a staring contest. As if needing 3 goals away was not enough, we have an insane schedule coming up that includes the most important match of the year, Panathinaikos at home, and two games with PAOK. Deep hole on aggregate and congested schedule aside, we will be without three regular starters in this match. Belluschi, Galletti, and Avraam will not play and this creates a lot of problems for Ernesto “viva la vida” Valverde. Galletti is the heart and soul of our team, Belluschi’s flair at CAM is integral to attack, and Avraam has been a rock at CB.

Starting XI
Nikopolidis, Kovac, Pantos, Torosidis, Patsatzoglou, Djordjevic, Antzas, Zewlakow, Mitroglou, Dudu, Leto, Derbyshire, Oscar, Leonardo, Mendrinos, Diogo, and Galitsios are the players available for Valverde’s use tomorrow.

If he sticks to his normal 4-5-1 with two DMs I would expect to see the following starting XI:

…………………………………………….Nikopolidis

Gallitsios………………………….Zewlakow……Antzas…………………………………Pantos

……………………………………Patsatzoglou….Dudu

Torosidis…………………………………….Oscar………………………………………….Leto

………………………………………………..Diogo

I would like to see Valverde go for the win (for once) and play a 4-4-2 from the start like so:

…………………………………………….Nikopolidis

Torosidis………………………..Zewlakow……Antzas………………………….Leonardo

………………………………………………..Dudu

Patsatzoglou………………………………..Oscar………………………………………….Leto

…………………………………….Derbyshire…..Diogo

Prediction
Even though I would love to see Valverde come out with a 4-4-2 and for us to score 3 goals and win it I just cant see it happening with all of the injuries. We will come out with two DMs and not be able to get anything going offensively. Final score will be 1-1 and our run at the UEFA Cup will be over… or I could be wrong and we could win 3-0 and go happy into March awaiting a date with AC Milan. Damn, I hope I’m wrong.

In Italy they are going to experiment with the use of an ORANGE card. Article from Italy (in english) here

”It would be good for those situations where a red card is too much and a yellow not enough,” said an ironically ORANGE looking Collina. If you get an ORANGE card you have to sit out of the game for a few minutes (maybe they will have a hockey-style penalty box?)

FIFA is allowing it and next year will consider using it world wide.

Also something in the article about having a fifth official or “second set of eyes” maybe this would be an NFL-style replay official for big, match-changing penalty, handball, and offside decisions?

Uhhhhhh right! I like the idea of a 5th official or eye in the sky, but the orange card is a malakia!

Bagging his fifteenth goal in Europe against the Ligue 1 outfit, Djordjevic surpassed Nikos Anastopoulos’ mark of fourteen goals to become Olympiacos’ leading scorer after eighty-nine appearances in Europe for the ‘Erythrolefki’. Anastasopoulos set his mark after twenty-nine matches for Olympiacos in Europe.

While the Serb currently holds the club record for European tallies, his record could become under fire sooner rather than later as Diogo and Luciano Galletti already have five goals for the Piraeus giants.

Olympiacos’ Top 10 Scorers in Europe:
Player/# of Goals

1. Predrag Djordjevic* 15
2. Nikos Anastopoulos 14
3. Stelios Giannakopoulos* 9
4. Giorgos Sideris 8
- Alexis Alexandris 8
- Giovanni Silva De Oliveira* 8
7. Sinisa Gogic 7
8. Mike Galakos 6
- Bent Kristensen 6
- Ilija Ivic 6

* Still active.

It was a shocking result in the port city of Piraeus on Wednesday night, as Saint-Etienne produced an unexpected 3-1 win over Olympiacos at the Giorgos Karaiskakis Stadium. While clashes in and out of one of Greece’s most historic football stadiums marred the build-up, it wasn’t until the match started that Olympiacos fans were drawn within misery. A handful of mistakes became the Achilles heel for the Greek Champions, despite raiding the French goal with several decent looks during their own possession.

Ahead of the game, it was unthinkable that Olympiacos would ever be stopped at home. Saturday’s win over Aris FC put the cap on a sixteen game home win streak spanning all competitions. Unbeaten at home in European competition since a slim 1-0 loss to Italian giants AS Roma back in October of 2006, Karaiskaki had become a safe haven for the ‘Erythrolefki’ in Greece and in Europe.

With faithful followers forming stunning visuals in the crowd, include large banners reading “Fight for Red and White”, it was all up to Ernesto Valverde’s men to deliver a pre-mature blow against their French guests.

The home side looked to be on track for a rampant start when Vasilis Torosidis erupted into celebration as he mistakenly thought he scored the match’s opening goal. The Greece international was slapped with disappointment by the linesman who had raised his flag to signal the former Skoda Xanthi defender was in an offside position.

Dodging an early bullet, Alain Perrin’s ‘les Verts’ targeted a goal of their own; however it wasn’t their determination that put them ahead on the scoreboard. Instead, Didier Domi spent too much time on the ball, and after the French defender failed to clear the ball to safety, he had his pocket picked, and a wide-open Ilan was the first to pounce on the loose ball. The Brazilian sharply turned his attention to a stranded Antonis Nikopolidis, before placing his effort around the former Greece international.

A tragic early marker sparked joy for the French, while the Greeks were still caught up in disappointment. More misery nearly followed as Geoffrey Dernis attempted to add further damage to the score-line, but the French midfielder was denied by the upright.

Dernis’ dash came just minutes after Belgian Kevin Mirallas forced Nikopolidis into a save, after collecting the ball off a Predrag Djordjevic.

It became clear, rather briskly, that Olympiacos had to tighten up in the back. Thanks to several flaws in defense, Saint-Etienne began to grab the lion’s share of possession; forcing the hosts to waste energy just to retrieve the ball.

As mistakes continued to filter their way through the game, a long series allowed for the match to play without many scoring opportunities.

Olympiacos came close to levelling the score on thirty-eight minutes, but Djordjevic’s thunderous header went just wide of Jeremie Janot’s goal, after Luciano Galletti had set up the Serbian with a pinpoint aerial pass.

Three minutes later Olympiacos returned to the forefront of the Saint-Etienne box, and with a brilliant pass from Fernando Belluschi to compatriot Galletti, the Greeks could have levelled the match if the latter imposed more accuracy on the effort.

Breathing a sigh of relief, the visitors regrouped and returned to their offensive duties by extending their lead to 2-0. A combinative sloppy display by Paraskevas Antzas and Domi allowed Ilan to thread a pass to Dernis at the top of the box. Taking the pass in before the Frenchman curled a strike past an exposed Nikopolidis.

Screaming silence now took over the Giorgos Karaiskakis Stadium, as a rather odd feel had blanketed itself on jam-packed venue. With heavy-favourites Olympiacos behind by two after forty-five minutes, the second frame was their last chance to sweeten the score line before a replay in about a week.

The first effort of the second half came through Galletti. The Argentine started the second half in high gear, and flashed an effort towards Janot but the ‘keeper parried to keep his clean sheet.

It was then Dudu’s turn to challenge the French ‘keeper, but Janot made a sharp save to deny the Brazilian. Not to be outdone, Saint-Etienne broke free from the Olympiacos hold moments later, but Moustapha Bayal could only send his effort over Nikopolidis’ goal.

Similarly, Antzas wasted a rare headed effort just past the hour mark, but continued pressure by the Super League leaders began to unravel the Saint-Etienne defense.

It was about a minute later when Christos Patsatzoglou was controversially brought down near the edge of the box, but the referee awarded the trailing side a penalty. Clutch scorer Djordjevic exercised his masterful penalty taking, beating Janot to cut the deficit to just one with less than thirty minutes left in Piraeus.

Attempting to bog down the game, Saint-Etienne resisted any Greek raids until Dudu narrowly missed out on depositing Belluschi’s free-kick with a wide bound header.

The sacred equalizer continued to elude Olympiacos, and by the stroke of fulltime, Bafetimbi Gomis capped the encounter with his side’s third goal. Firing from well outside the box, Gomis’ effort was aided by a fortunate bounce off compatriot Domi, which handcuffed a fooled Nikopolidis.

With the arrival of fulltime, there was also the introduction of responsibility for Olympiacos. Great pressure is on the Piraeus giants to progress, but it will take a goliath effort in France to see them through at this point.

Olympiacos CFP 1-3 AS Saint-Etienne
Djordjevic (pen.)  64′ – Ilan 12′, Dernis 43′, Gomis 90 + 1′

Yellow Cards:
Olympiacos – A. Papadopoulos 23′, Diogo 78′, Dudu 84′.
Saint Etienne – Tavlaridis 6′, Dernis 29′, Varrault 62′, Dabo 74′.

Olympiacos CFP (Ernesto Valverde): Nikopolidis, Torosidis, Domi, A. Papadopoulos (46′ Zewlakow), Antzas, Dudu, Galletti (65′ Derbyshire), Patsatzoglou, Diogo, Belluschi, Djordjevic (77′ Oscar).

AS Saint-Etienne (Alain Perrin): Janot, Varrault, Tavlaridis (75′ Benalouane), Payet, Mirallas, Dernis (54′ Hautcouer), Matuidi, Dabo, Machado, Bayal, Ilan (46′ Gomis).

Referee: Cardozo Cortez Batista (Portugal)

Venue: Giorgos Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Greece.

Not so great beginnings
Didier Domi committed a huge defensive mistake in the 12th minute and Ilan promptly slotted the ball that Domi had so generously given to him into the net and just like that Olympiacos (who have not lost a game at home in any competition this year) were down 1-0 in a European match. I knew the game was not going to turn out in our favor when Diogo fought through Tavlaridis mauling him and had a clear break on goal– just to be called back by the referee. I guess he has never heard of that thing called advantage? Directly resulting from this foul a counter attack was swiftly finished by Dernis and we were down 2-0 at halftime instead of being tied 1-1.

Wasted chances
The second half was full of opportunities to save the game, but none of them were taken. Djordjevic had a clear header on goal after he made an amazing run (yes, Djole can still run) into the box and his bald, shiny head was met by a pin-point cross from Galletti. Sadly, Djole’s finish was not as good as Galletti’s service and the ball went out, agonizingly looping past the defeated keeper and goalpost. Dudu had a few chances as did Galletti and Diogo, but nobody could finish. We did find the back of the net after Patsatzoglou was tackled “in the box” and earned a penalty that Djole slotted in at the stroke of 64′ and I had a hope, a prayer that we would scrape out the draw. Derbyshire and Oscar were subbed in for Galletti and Djole respectively and their fresh (if less talented) legs lead me to think that I might see one more goal before this game was over.

Dagger
My feeling that I would see one more goal before the end of the game was correct, however as with the scoreline… it was for the wrong team. Olympiacos set a feverish pace in the final 30 minutes, we were creating chances left and right but could not finish any of them. When a team is pushing hard for a goal it is very easy to get broken against on a counter-attack. Bafétimbi Gomis drove a dagger into this game in stoppage time as he took one of the counters and whistled a shot into the top corner of the net.

The aftermath
The game finished 3-1 and our European prospects look gloomy at best. We need to win 3-0 away in order to advance and the game is sandwiched between the big Panathinaikos derby and PAOK cup return matches. I am not going to say we are out of UEFA because of Wednesday’s game, but I am not that confident that we will be playing Milan or Werder when I am in Athens come March 15th.

Olympiacos CFP 1-3 St. Etienne ASSE
P. Djordjević 64(pen) Ilan 12, Dernis 43, Gomis 90+ 1

Yellow Cards:
Olympiacos CFP – A. Papadopoulos 23, Diogo 78, Dudu 84.
St. Etienne- Tavlaridis 6, Dernis 29, Varrault 62, Dabo 74.

Red Cards:
Olympiacos CFP – none.
St. Etienne – none.

Referee:
Lucilio Cardoso Cortez Batista (POR)

Venue:
Giorgos Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Greece.

Official UEFA Match Report

After clinching qualification with a 4-0 defeat of Hertha Berlin less than twenty-four hours before the draw in Nyon, Switzerland, Olympiacos was handed a trip to the outskirts of Lyon for the next round of the last edition of the UEFA Cup.

Olympiacos, who grabbed the final qualifying spot in Group B and could only face group winners in the next round, was drawn against the Group G top dogs who finished ahead of Spanish giants Valencia and Danish outfit FC Kobenhavn.

Group B winners Metalist Kharkiv, who pulled three consecutive 1-0 wins to finish ahead of Turkish side Galatasaray and Olympiacos, was paired with another trip to the Meditteranean but this time against Italian Serie A outfit UC Sampdoria. The Turks, meanwhile, will tackle familiar French foes Girondins de Bordeaux.

Other matches in the round of thirty-two include a Central European clash between French side Paris Saint-Germain and VfL Wolfsburg of the German Bundesliga, while Aston Villa face the daunting task for travelling to the Russian capital to face perfect Group H winners CSKA Mosow.

UEFA also conducted the draw for the round of sixteen, by pairing the previously selected first knockout round matchups with one another. For Olympiacos, there is a potentially supreme test for the Greek Champions if they progress past Saint-Etienne as the eventual winner from the Olympiacos and Saint-Etienne tie faces the successful side between Werder Bremen and AC Milan.

The road to the Sukru Sarioglu Stadium in Istanbul starts at home for Olympiacos, as Saint-Etienne travels to the Giorgos Karaiskakis Stadium in mid-February before the return leg in France a week later.

2008/09 UEFA Cup Round of 32
First leg: 18/19 February
Second leg: 26 February

1. Paris Saint-Germain FC (France) v VfL Wolfsburg (Germany)
2. FC København (Denmark) v Manchester City FC (England)
3. NEC Nijmegen (Netherlands) v Hamburger SV (Germany)
4. UC Sampdoria (Italy) v FC Metalist Kharkiv (Ukraine)
5. SC Braga (Portugal) v R. Standard de Liège (Belgium)
6. Aston Villa FC (England) v PFC CSKA Moskva (Russia)
7. KKS Lech Poznań (Poland) v Udinese Calcio (Italy)
8. Olympiacos CFP (Greece) v AS Saint-Etienne (France)
9. ACF Fiorentina (Italy) v AFC Ajax (Netherlands)
10. Aalborg BK (Denmark) v RC Deportivo La Coruña (Spain)
11. Werder Bremen (Germany) v AC Milan (Italy)
12. FC Girondins de Bordeaux (France) v Galatasaray AŞ (Turkey)
13. FC Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine) v Valencia CF (Spain)
14. FC Zenit St. Petersburg (Russia) v VfB Stuttgart (Germany)
15. Olympique de Marseille (France) v FC Twente (Netherlands)
16. FC Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) v Tottenham Hotspur FC (England)

2008/09 UEFA Cup Round of 16
First leg: 12 March
Second leg: 18/19 March

Winners of Match 11 v Winners of Match 8
Winners of Match 6 v Winners of Match 16
Winners of Match 7 v Winners of Match 14
Winners of Match 1 v Winners of Match 5
Winners of Match 13 v Winners of Match 4
Winners of Match 2 v Winners of Match 10
Winners of Match 15 v Winners of Match 9
Winners of Match 3 v Winners of Match 12

With the advantage of having their fate in their own hands, Olympiacos assured the advantage didn’t go to waste as strikes from Dudu Cearanse, Luciano Galletti, Vassilis Torosidis, and Diogo propelled the Piraeus giants to the next round.

The Germans, meanwhile, failed to take advantage of their own benefits which included several opportunities for much talked about talisman Marko Pantelic. The Serbian’s poor performance in front of goal, compounded with Olympiacos’ dominance in both offense and defense, opened the exit door for the Germans who join Benfica as the two sides eliminated from Group B.

The Germans surprisingly tackled the game with plenty of confidence, despite playing in front of the hostile crowd packing Karaiskaki. With most of the physical pressure on the Bundesliga club, it looked obvious that Lucien Favre’s men were prepared to take matters into their own hands. The capital club could have done so as early as the second minute of the match, but Fabian Lustenberger drove his shot wide of Antonis Nikopolidis’ goal.

One minute later, however, Hertha came much closer to grabbing an early breakthrough. In an isolated run by Pal Dardai, the Hungarian forced Nikopolidis to produce the first save of the match with a strong shot towards the former Greece international.

Appearing to be nervy thanks to the offensive pressure enforced by Hertha, Olympiacos reversed the rush on five minutes to acquire their first chance on goal. The ball nearly made its way into the Hertha goal, but Hertha captain Arne Friedrich assured his side would stay level with a goal line save.

Much talked about striker Marko Pantelic attempted to live up to expectations at the other end for Hertha, but he missed an optimal opportunity to edge his side ahead after just ten minutes. With Nikopolidis at the mercy of the Serbian, who pounced on the rebound of Cicero’s effort, Pantelic failed to slot home his finish and edge Hertha ahead.

Olympiacos then began to dominate in Hertha’s end of the pitch, as the Greek Champions looked to add insurance to match they need to at least draw in order to reach the first knockout round. The ‘Erythrolefki’ dominated the next twenty minutes, with several chances threatening Hertha ‘keeper Jaroslav Drobny.

Much of the play in the attacking third was initiated by an energetic Fernando Belluschi, and the Argentine commenced the series of opportunities but was unable to find the back of the net with his thirteenth minute try.

If it wasn’t placement, power was utilized by Olympiacos surge in offense. Christos Patsatzoglou had plenty in his strike just before the quarter-hour mark, but Drobny was alert to produce a punching save to reject the Greece international from finding a breakthrough.

Pantelic had an opportunity to redeem himself on thirty-eight minutes, but the result, although accurate, failed to make an impact on the scoreboard as Nikopolidis produced another fine save.

As Hertha struggled to find any success through the frontline, it was nearly the Olympiacos backline that rewarded the German club for its efforts. Raffael released a curling strike from the right wing, but as the ball appeared to curl around the goal and harmlessly wide, Michal Zewlakow sent Olympiacos supporters into a frantic state as his attempt to clear the ball nearly ended up in the Olympiacos goal.

Aware they had to chase the game, Hertha was not afraid to attack and seek what would be a crucial goal in one of Greece’s most passionate football communities.

The hosts, meanwhile, had opportunities of their own, and showed great skill in their link-up play. The final result was lacking, as the Super League leaders like their opponents failed to capitalize on opportunities to break the deadlock.

Olympiacos exploded in offense shortly after the restart, and as Belluschi provided a sleek back heel to find Patsatzoglou at the edge of the box. The Greece international drilled his effort, but there was too much velocity on the ball, which swerved unhandsomely over the bar.

As Olympiacos continued to dictate the early moments of the second frame, the home side was finally rewarded for its efforts on fifty four minutes through Brazilian Dudu. The Brazilian connected to Predrag Djordjevic’s free kick with a swirling header that had enough power to elude the outstretched arm of Drobny – despite the former Panionios getting a piece of Dudu’s aerial effort.

Olympiacos continued to attack and limited Hertha’s progress in creating offensive opportunities. With the Greeks asserting more and more pressure on a now hurting Hertha Berlin, the match was bound for more goals at the hands of the hosts.

Becoming more and more of a busy shot-stopper, Drobny was forced to produce a reflex save to block Diogo’s effort on a Luciano Galletti cross.

With Olympiacos simply camping out in Hertha’s half of the pitch, each attacking wave imposed by the Greeks cause more frustration for the Olympiastadion side. Misery sank in the hearts of Hertha shortly after the hour mark, as Steve Von Bergen’s foul on Dudu resulted in a trip to the penalty spot for Galletti. The Argentine made no mistake with the spot-kick, smashing his shot into the top half of  center of the goal while Drobny foolishly leaped for the right corner.

Hertha enjoyed a rare second-half excursion into Olympiacos territory, but substitute Valeri Domovchiyski let it all go to waste when he sent his seventy-second minute effort wide of the Olympiacos goal.

Avraam Papadopoulos nearly found his scoring touch as he snuck in near the back post to release a powerful shot towards the Hertha goal. Luck was not on the Greek’s side, who narrowly missed on scoring his first ever goal in European competition.

As the Greeks dazzled in the offensive end, it was clear Hertha had a thing or two to learn from their opponents. Sebastian Leto provided a deflected cross for a streaking Vasilis Torosidis, who with great care deposited Olympiacos’ third goal of the match.

Less than sixty seconds later, and Olympiacos struck for the fourth time on the night. Didier Domi provided a grounded centering pass which found an unmarked Diogo. With one touch, the Brazilian easily beat Drobny to compile more pain for Favre’s side.

Diogo’s clean finish was the final marker on a night decided by the opening of the flood gates in the second half. Hertha dug its own hole by wasteful displays in front of Nikopolidis, while the likes of Dudu and Diogo buried the Berlin-based club with their clinical finishes.

The Greek Champions will now set their sights to Nyon, Switzerland where UEFA will conduct the draw for the first knockout round on Friday. One more task lies the balance for ‘O Thrylos’ before the Super Leaguue goes on a two-week winter break. A weekend encounter with Thrasyvoulos on Sunday will mark the midpoint mark for the Super League season.

For Hertha Berlin, their Bundesliga form was not replicated in the UEFA Cup as the capital club crashed out of the tournament with a winless record in the group stage. The Berliners now find themselves in the middle of a lengthy break in German football, but with a third place rank heading into the New Year, Berlin will be optimistic for more domestic success in 2009.

Olympiacos CFP 4-0 Hertha Berlin
Dudu 55′, Galletti 68′(pen), Torosidis 87′, Diogo 88′

Yellow Cards:
Olympiacos CFP -Djordjevic 55′, Diogo 58′, Pantos 79′.
Hertha Berlin – Kaka 59′.

Olympiacos CFP (Ernesto Valverde): Nikopolidis, Domi, Zewlakow, Papadopoulos, Torosidis, Dudu, Patsatzoglou, Galletti (75′ Pantos), Djordjevic (60′ Leto), Belluschi (84′ Kovacevic), Diogo.

Hertha Berlin (Lucien Favre): Drobny, Von Bergen (68′ Domovchiyski), Friedrich, Kaka, Stein, Nicu, Dardai, Lustenberger, Cicero, Pantelic (75′ Chermiti), Raffael

Referee: Martin Hansson (Sweden)
Assistant referees: Fredrik Nilsson (Sweden), Joakim Flink (Sweden)
Fourth official: Martin Ingvarsson (Sweden)

Venue: Giorgos Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Greece.