An early goal didn’t deter Olympiakos as it went on to claim a 2-1 victory against Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb in their Champions League clash at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium this morning.
Armin Hodzic gave the visitors the advantage early in the first half, courtesy of a header in the 21st minute – his goal coming after defender Josip Pivaric spotted him after making a run down the left.
The home side struggled to compose itself early, and Dinamo stood up at the back for almost an hour. But Olympiakos earned a penalty after Ideye Brown was fouled early in the second half, only to see Kostas Fortounis’s attempt saved by Eduardo in the 54th minute.
Coach Marco Silva brought on Felipe Pardo in the 64th minute, and his decision paid immediate dividends with the forward drawing the home-side level one minute later with his first touch. A second Pardo goal in the dying seconds of the game gave Olympiakos the three points.
An ecstatic Silva praised his troops on their relentlessness following the match.
“The position we’re in now is the result of hard work,” he said.
“Felipe Pardo did very well for the 25 minutes after he came off the bench. But today’s result is a team effort.
“The team kept their composure and conducted themselves well throughout the game, even before Pardo came on.”
With the victory, Olympiakos sits second in its group on equal footing with leader Bayern Munich on nine points, after the German side dismantled Arsenal 5-1 in Germany. Dinamo and the English side sit on three points in third and fourth spot respectively, meaning Olympiakos requires a solitary point from its two remaining matches to progress through to the final 16.
The Greek side next faces Bayern Munich in Germany on November 25.