Diogo double saves Olympiacos in Tripoli

By: Peter Katsiris | March 20th, 2009

A comeback brace from Brazilian striker Diogo saw Olympiacos and Asteras Tripolis play to a 2-2 score-line in Tripoli after the hosts had gone ahead with a double from Lucio Filomeno. The defending Greek Cup Champions were rescued by their Brazilian ace, and now take a slim aggregate lead, on away goals, to the Giorgos Karaiskakis Stadium for the second leg.

Having thrashed Iraklis 5-0 on the weekend, Olympiacos had returned to their stunning form after a somewhat gloomy end to February and an uneasy start to March. Meanwhile, Asteras Tripolis were likely ecstatic thanks to the inclusion of Mauro Milano, after the young Argentine returned to the line-up since limping off the Karaiskaki pitch when the two sides met for a Super League encounter back in August.

While Olympiacos’ offense created many chances in their weekend rout, the first twenty minutes were dominated by an Asteras side fuelled by the home crowd.

The Arcadian outfit had its first chance on nine minutes as Jaoud Zairi attempted to give Asteras an early lead with a hard shot aimed towards Olympiacos shot-stopper Antonis Nikopolidis; however, the effort did little to test the former Greece international ‘keeper.

Not long after Asteras returned with another chance to net a breakthrough as Adrian Bastia connected with Flavio, but the latter flashed his effort just wide of Nikopolidis’ goal.

Horacio Cardozo was the next to try for Asteras, but again Nikopolidis was left untested thanks to another inaccurate effort from the hosts.

Still pushing forward, Asteras pinned their hopes of drawing first blood on striker Lucio Filomeno, who missed out on beating Nikopolidis by slim fractions with a merely off-target header posing no threat to the Olympiacos custodian.

Finally, Olympiacos showed signs of content in the attacking third but Christos Patsatzoglou was way off with his twenty-second minute effort.

In a likewise fashion, the Argentine duo of Fernando Belluschi and Sebastian Leto combined only to see the on-loan Leto fired wide of Giorgos Abaris’ net.

With the arrival of the half-hour mark, a dose of brilliance made leeway for a goal for the hosts. A tough of skill and patience from Zairi allowed the Moroccan to find an unmarked Filomeno inside the Olympiacos box, who swiftly netted a well-placed header past Nikopolidis.

It took only five more minutes for Asteras to increase their advantage, and once again it was Filomeno heading home a tally for the Tripoli crowd to cheer. A free-kick from Flavio reached a poorly marked Filomeno and the Argentine striker cheekily made it 2-0 with a header squeezing just inside the upright.

Now urged to claw their way back into the game, Olympiacos searched for a goal of their own, and were rewarded when Diogo calmly decreased the deficit. A sharp long-ranged pass from Vasilis Torosidis sent Diogo on a trek in the Asteras box, before allowing the Brazilian to chip an effort past Abaris and over the goal-line despite a back-checking Marcelao desperate to scissor-kick the ball to safety.

Changing the outlook of the game, and possibly the tie in a matter of minutes, Olympiacos nearly pulled level just before the half. Again Diogo was responsible for the effort, but this time Abaris was equal to the task as he blocked the Brazilian’s effort.

Still possessing a definitive lead heading into halftime, Asteras’ goal for the second frame was to withstand the pressure from the Greek Champions in hopes of maintaining their aggregate cushion ahead of the replay in Piraeus.

The pace of the second half was notably inferior compared to the start of the second half, but when action did resume accordingly it was Diogo who continued to create problems for the Asteras defense. Luciano Galletti provided a pinpoint cross off a free-kick, but Diogo failed to be as accurate with the finish as the ball soared wide of the Abaris’ frame.

Another letdown came for Olympiacos just past the hour mark as a bit of miscommunication between Diogo and Belluschi saw another opportunity go wasted. Leto was the driving force behind the play as his speed down the flank allowed Diogo to find enough room in the box to release a centering pass; however, the effort went begging for a finish thanks to a flatfooted Belluschi.

Although Ernesto Valverde’s side were struck with disappointed through the opening fifteen minutes of the second frame, the visitors erupted in celebration on seventy-three minutes after a series of momentous opportunities were rewarded with an equalizer.

A swift cross from Galletti found a slick Diogo, who had slipped past his marker, and with a crouched header beat Abaris to the far corner to level the score.

Retreated to the bench soon after securing his brace, Diogo was replaced by a potent Matt Derbyshire on seventy-six minutes. It took the Englishman just over five minutes to nearly strike a winner for Olympiacos, but the on-loan Blackburn Rovers starlet was denied by the woodwork.

It was a sharp run from Oscar Gonzalez that resulted in Derbyshire’s spell of possession and eventual crossbar-smashing effort, but the follow up was nearly as nerve-racking for Asteras as Torosidis forced Abaris into a sharp reflex save as the Greece international rapidly pounced on the rebound.

Growing in momentum, Olympiacos’ quest for a late goal to take back to Piraeus suffered a setback when Leto was dismissed from the pitch on eighty-six minutes. The Argentine winger was issued his second caution of the evening to leave Olympiacos shorthanded for the dying moments of the match.

Asteras looked to take advantage of their strength in numbers when Marcelao forced the best out of Nikopolidis with his driven free-kick soon after Leto’s sending-off. Lashing a hard shot towards the Olympiacos goal, Nikopolidis reacted quickly to push over the Brazilian’s effort over the bar for a corner.

Asteras Tripolis FC 2-2 Olympiacos CFP
Filomeno 30′, 35′ – Diogo 43′, 73′

Yellow Cards:
Asteras Tripolis FC – Cardozo 27′, Fytanidis 56′, Psomas 90′.
Olympiacos CFP – Torosidis 21′, Leto 56′ (87′).

Red Cards:
Asteras Tripolis – none.
Olympiacos CFP – Leto 87′ (sent off after double booking).

Asteras Tripolis FC (Nikos Kostenoglou): Abaris, Flavio, Marcelao, Fytanidis (88′ Esteves), Kanakoudis, Cardozo, Bastia (75′ Damonte), Lazaridis, Zairi, Filomeno, Kaounos (75′ Milano).

Olympiacos CFP (Ernesto Valverde): Nikopolidis, Patsatzoglou, Galletti (79′ G. Papadopoulos), Diogo (76′ Derbyshire), Zewlakow, Dudu, A. Papadopoulos, Leto, Belluschi (71′ Oscar), Pantos, Torosidis.

Referee: Dimitris Kalopoulos

Venue: Asteras Tripolis Stadium, Tripoli, Greece