A last-gasp Ieroklis Stoltidis header earned Olympiakos an invaluable Champions League Group H win against Belgian champions Standard Liege in Piraeus last week.

The win consolidates Olympiakos’ chances of a top two finish in the group, in which Arsenal stumbled away to AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands.

Meanwhile, Cypriot side APOEL came unstuck at the hands of FC Porto who won 2-1 in Portugal.

Jesualdo Ferreira celebrated his 100th win in charge of FC Porto as Hulk inspired a 2-1 comeback victory over APOEL FC that strengthened the Portuguese titleholders’ hand in Group D.

Olympiakos  2 – Standard Liege (BEL)  1

Standard had forged ahead through captain Igor De Camargo’s composed finish late eight minutes before half-time but Kostas Mitroglou ensured the sides were all square at the interval.

Both sides had chances but the match seemed destined for a draw until deep into added time when substitute Stoltidis powered in Luciano Galletti’s corner.

Olympiacos coach Zico had urged his players to attack from the first minute and they did just that, Dudu blazing over after their initial attack.

The visitors responded swiftly, Dieudonne Mbokani shooting wide.

Yet the home side were soon on top and as the boisterous supporters in the stands tried to unsettle Laszlo Boloni’s team, Galletti (making his group-stage bow after injury) and Jaouad Zairi were doing likewise down the flanks.

Zairi tried his luck from distance, but Standard remained a threat and midfielder Wilifried Dalmat was presented with a chance to put the visitors ahead midway through the half.

The impressive Mbokani dribbled past Olof Mellberg and Michal Zewlakow on the left before sending over a cross which landed kindly for Dalmat, but the Frenchman flashed his shot narrowly wide.

Galletti replied immediately for Olympiakos, shaving the left post with a speculative strike.

Despite long spells of pressure from the home side it was Standard who opened the scoring.

De Camargo, who passed a late fitness test after recovering from a broken toe, ran on to Milan Jovanovic’s clever through-ball and slotted low past Antonis Nikopolidis to stun the home crowd.

Olympiakos were level two minutes before half-time, however, Mitroglou looping in a header from Galletti’s free-kick.

The visitors were back on the attack after the restart and Jovanovic was denied by a point-blank Nikopolidis save four minutes in.

At the other end Galletti drew a smart save from Sinan Bolat with a shot from an acute angle while Mellberg flashed a header over as Olympiakos regained the initiative.

Both teams continued to go for goals in an entertaining match with Mitroglou trying his luck with an improvised overhead kick before Jovanovic rattled the crossbar with a stunning strike from distance. Olympiakos poured forward in the latter stages and Dudu had the ball in the net after 84 minutes but his effort was ruled out for handball.

Maresca then drew a superb save from Bolat but the goalkeeper was finally beaten at the death by Stoltidis, a 72nd-minute replacement for Zairi.

Olympiakos closed within one point of leaders Arsenal FC, four ahead of AZ Alkmaar and five clear of bottom-placed Standard, who welcome the Greek champions on November 4.

FC Porto (POR)  2 – APOEL (CYP)  1

Caught cold by the Cypriot outfit’s first real foray forward on 22 minutes, which ended with Alvaro Pereira helping the ball over his own goalline, Porto reacted with wounded pride and levelled through the excellent Hulk eleven minutes later.

The Brazilian striker was a constant menace and it was fitting that he should deliver the telling blow, scoring from the spot three minutes into the second period.

Mariano Gonzalez’s late dismissal gave APOEL hope of salvaging a draw, yet they never really threatened to add to their solitary point in the section.

Their defensive injury concerns worsened by Christos Kontis’s pre-match withdrawal, APOEL nonetheless kept faith in the cautious approach that had posed their previous opponents problems.

To general surprise the deadlock was broken by APOEL, Pereira bundling the ball into his own net in an attempt to prevent Constantinos Charalambides from connecting with Chrysostomos Michail’s centre from the left.

Briefly stunned, the hosts responded 12 minutes before half-time and it was a defensive mistake that let them in. APOEL’s Portuguese midfielder Helio Pinto headed the ball back towards his own area, only to feed Falcao, who skipped past a challenge and set up Hulk to slot low into the far corner.

Soon after, Bruno Alves fired over from an indirect free-kick inside the box and Mariano fizzed an effort wide as Porto looked to make their dominance count.

If Ivan Jovanovic’s APOEL had finished the first period on the ropes, they began the second on the canvas as Hulk converted from the spot following Marios Elia’s handball.

Having switched flanks, the talented forward then fed Falcao with a perfect low cross which his attacking partner somehow failed to bury. Hulk also elicited a Chiotis save with a vicious drive.

The home team were clearly anxious to put the contest beyond their rivals, but their intensity slowly waned. APOEL duly started to venture forward and, with 66 minutes gone, they attempted their first shot with Nectarios Alexandrou bringing Helton into the game.

The visitors’ hopes were further aided by a 74th-minute red card for Gonzalez after he had clashed with Nuno Morais. Even that numerical advantage was not enough to get them back in, though, and they will need to be more adventurous when they welcome the same opponents on November 3.