Olympiakos CFP 1-3 Newcastle United |
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Date:
Thursday March 10 2005
Kick Off: 5.00pm BST
Venue: Georgios Karaiskaki
Att: 33,000
Ref: Arturo Dauden Ibañez (Spain)
Comp: UEFA Cup 4th Round 1st Leg |
| Match Preview
In Association With Toon
Ale |
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Toon Create Mayhem In Athens
By
Gaz Pearson
Newcastle took pole-position in the race to the quarter finals of
the UEFA Cup with a resounding 3-1 win in Athens. Most of us back
home would have just been tucking into our tea and sitting back expecting
a game with little spark as the two teams played out the first leg,
well how many of us nearly choked! The game was turned on its head
by the referee, Senior Ibanez, who took centre stage awarding two
penalties and sending off two Olympiakos players. Against nine men,
Newcastle seized their chance and now have a good platform to build
on in the return leg Wednesday week.
The match started brightly with Olympiakos - unbeaten in their new
stadium - making in roads into the Newcastle defence via roving runs
past the full backs Carr and Hughes. Newcastle looked edgy but nerves
were forgotten as Senior Ibanez turned the match upside down. There
was good work from Amdy Faye in the centre of midfield who slid a
through-ball to Kieron Dyer, his original shot was saved, but as he
went to head in the rebound off the Olympiakos goalkeeper he was shoved
in the back by Grigorios Georgatos. The referee instantly awarded
the penalty and sent off Georgatos as he was deemed the last defender.
Up stepped Shearer with the penalty…top left corner (11 mins). Olympiakos
0 Newcastle 1
Buoyed by the fact you have just scored an away goal and your dangerous
opponents being reduced to ten men most teams would have gone on and
won the game with little bother, well we did in the end but not before
some usual Newcastle Utd drama. A free-kick from former World footballer
of the Year Rivaldo into the Toon box and down goes an Olympiakos
man. Penalty! Apparently the referee saw Andy O'Brien tug Stoltidis.
TV showed that the Greek had taken a dive better than those seen at
the Olympics last year! Probably the best player for Olympiakos, Djordjevic,
stepped up and coolly smashed the ball past Shay Given (14 mins).
Olympiakos 1 Newcastle 1.
Most teams who have just conceded a goal within five minutes of scoring
one would have probably dropped their heads. Not Newcastle; Mr Robert
was fouled by Schurrer and Newcastle were awarded a free-kick. Robert
pulled out a beauty and curled the ball into the top left hand corner
of the Greek net, a thunderbolt Robert special (33 mins). Olympiakos
1 Newcastle 2. Newcastle were now flying. Two away goals and against
ten men, things couldn't get any better, or could they?
Just before the end of the first half the Greeks were reduced to 9
MEN! Thanassis Kostoulas was sent off for a second bookable offence
and the electric home crowd went mental. As the half time whistle
blew Souness and Co were bombarded with missiles as they left the
pitch. Souness didn't looked too pleased, and I am not surprised,
what a waste of toilet paper! I mean it must have been cheap bog roll
they were throwing - mind you I suppose the departing ref Ibanez must
have been sh*ting himself, ahem.
Half-time Olympiakos 1 Newcastle 2
The second half should have been a formality for Newcastle and thankfully
it was. Newcastle remained professional throughout although they should
have scored more goals. Notably Alan Shearer, who will be disappointed
not to have added to his tally in his quest to catch Wor Jackie's
record, particularly when he looked odds on to win a race with the
Olympiakos keeper but appeared to give up the chase. To be fair the
9-men of Olympiakos pushed Newcastle in the opening period of the
second half and it wasn't until the introduction of James Milner did
Newcastle take charge of the game.
Milner was a thorn down the Olympiakos left and went on a incisive
jig into the Olympiakos box before cutting back a delightful ball
for Kluivert to easily knock into the Greek goal (68 mins). Olympiakos
1 Newcastle 3.
The match, and hopefully the tie, was now over. However, Olympiakos
could have given themselves more hope but where denied by a fantastic
Aaron Hughes block at the death to deny the Greeks some way back into
the contest. Olympiakos were celebrating their 80 years birthday and
the Toon turned into party poopers with a little help from a certain
man with a few cards that certainly weren't Olympiakos' birthday cards.
Full-time: Olympiakos 1 Newcastle 3
Verdict
An amazing and bizarre game turned on its head by the intervention
of the referee in sending off two Olympiakos players. Other than that
a superb Toon performance that carries on this rich vein of form we
find ourselves in. What a superb time to come good, when it matters,
lets hope it continues not only in the UEFA Cup, but also in the FA
Cup against Spurs on Sunday. It would be naive of me to assume Olympiakos
dead and buried but any team who needs to score three goals away from
home is asking a hell of a lot and even though I think we can concede
without Boumsong at the back I still think the fire power up front
will take us through comfortably to the quarter finals and hopefully
beyond.
More...
Toon Player Ratings Vs Olympiakos
| Olympiakos |
Newcastle
United |
Match
Facts & Stats
Half-Time: 1-2
Full-Time: 1-3
Yellow Cards: 4
Red Cards: 2
Goalscorers: Djordjevic (16 pen)
Yellow Cards: Kostoulas (25), Djordjevic (74)
Red Cards: Georgatos (11), Kostoulas (44)
Substitutions: 3
Giovanni (Rivaldo 65), Pantos (Okkas 65), Kafes (Djordjevic
76)
Injuries: N/A
Goalscorers: Shearer
(pen 12), Robert (34), Kluivert (69)
Yellow Cards: O'Brien (15), Carr (23)
Red Cards: 0
Substitutions: 3
Jenas (Dyer 60), Milner (Robert 60), N'Zogbia (Faye 84)
Injuries: None |
| Nikopolidis |
Given |
| Anatolakis |
Carr |
| Kostoulas |
O'Brien |
| Mavrogenidis |
Bramble |
| Schurrer |
Hughes |
| Djordjevic |
Dyer |
| Georgatos |
Butt |
| Maric |
Faye |
| Stoltidis |
Robert |
| Okkas |
Shearer |
| Rivaldo |
Kluivert |
| Substitutes
Bench |
| Giannou |
Harper |
| Pantos |
Taylor |
| Vallas |
Milner |
|
Castillo |
Jenas |
| Filipakos |
N'Zogbia |
| Kafes |
Bowyer |
| Giovanni |
Ameobi |
Laurent Robert scored his 5th goal of the season and 5th in European
competitions for United, a goal which came in his 170th game for the
club. Alan Shearer grabbed his 25th goal in Europe, in just 42 games.
Patrick Kluivert grabbed his 10th goal in a Toon shirt, his 5th in
Europe for NUFC and 40th altogether. We are unbeaten in 10 games in
Europe now and the goal we conceded was the 60th in the competition.
Nicky Butt made his 20th appearance for Newcastle. Amdy Faye has played
8 games for United now and has yet to play in a losing Toon side.
Kluivert's 69th minute goal was the 70th goal NUFC have scored this
season - in 42 games. On top of all that, Graeme Souness' men are
the first side ever to beat Olympiakos at their new Georgios Karaiskaki
Stadium and it's now just one defeat in 14 for the Scot.
| How The Goals Were
Scored |
Newcastle Goal 12 Minutes: Alan Shearer (penalty)
Dyer picked up a throughball and ran clear into the box. The midfielder's
shot rebounded up into the air and with the keeper stranded an empty
goal gaped. As he was about to nod the ball into the net Olympiakos'
Georgatos nudged him in the back. The ref awarded a penalty and sent
off the Greek player. Up stepped Shearer to score his 25th European
goal for United.
Olympiakos Goal 16 Minutes: Djordjevic (penalty)
An Olympiakos free-kick was floated into the box where O'Brien was
adjudged to have pushed Stoltidis. The ref awarded the penalty and
up stepped Djordjevic to smash it home.
Newcastle Goal 34 Minutes: Laurent Robert
Robert picked the ball up in midfield and ran at the Olympiakos rear-guard
before he was brought down 25-yards from goal. From the resulting
free-kick the Frenchman curled in a delightful left-footed strike.
Goal of the game.
Newcastle Goal 69 Minutes: Patrick Kluivert
Butt clipped a diagonal ball out to his left for Milner to race onto.
The youngster picked up the ball, beat his man to the byline and cut
inside to slip the ball to Kluivert who hit a first-time shot on the
angle with his left-foot.
| Match Reaction From
Graeme Souness |
Souness said:
"It was a professional job and we're happy to take a 3-1 lead back
to our place.
"But the job isn't done yet. We have to be as professional next week
as we were on Thursday before we can think about the next round.
"The two sendings off left them with a tough task, and I tried to
get the message across at half time that we couldn't get involved
in any stuff with the referee bercause we didn't want to have a man
short.
"In the second half we didn't get at them as much as I'd have liked,
but the third goal from Patrick could prove to be important.
"I said before the game I wanted to go home in a position where we
could finish the job off at our place, and we did that."
| Match Reaction
From Olympiakos Manager Dusan Bajevic |
Bajevic said:
 "I
respect my colleague's comment that it is not over until it is over.
"I am not quite sure whether he really believes it, but to be
quite honest, that is his job and that is what he should do.
"Probably if I was in his shoes, I would do the same thing.
"But I have to say that we are not going to England just for
a trip.
"We have the prestige and the history of the club at stake and
we will do the best we can in the return game." |
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