published: tuesday 25 february 2014, 22.50cet olympiacos fc 2-0 manchester united fc
david moyes' team have it all to do after alejandro domínguez's nimble flick and a fine joel campbell strike earned the home side a famous win.
olympiacos fc are in touching distance of a return to the uefa champions league quarter-finals after 15 years following a comfortable 2-0 victory against manchester united fc in piraeus.
alejandro domínguez gave the hosts a deserved lead in seven minutes before half-time with a clever flick to divert giannis maniatis's shot past the wrong-footed david de gea. joel campbell, on loan from arsenal fc, doubled the advantage ten minutes after the restart and united never looked like getting back into it. the english champions will need to improve drastically to turn this tie around on 19 march at old trafford.
with kostas mitroglou joining fulham fc on 31 january, olympiacos no longer possess an attacking reference point in the opposition area. coach míchel turned that to his side's advantage, encouraging his forward players to drive at united and try their luck from range. ıt soon appeared an astute approach.
ınside eight minutes domínguez drove into the area and, with united backing off, the argentinian playmaker looked certain to score – only for nemanja vidić to come in with an excellent tackle. hernán pérez also went for a solo run in the 26th minute, cutting inside from the left and firing a low shot that went wide of the near post.
united enjoyed possession but not creativity. goalkeeper roberto and defensive duo of kostas manolas and ıván marcano dealt with any high balls launched into the area and full-backs leandro salino and josé holebas commanded the flanks.
míchel's plan paid dividends with half-time approaching. after campbell's cross was headed clear, maniatis collected the ball on the edge of the penalty area. his low shot went through a forest of legs, with domínguez executing a clever flick to divert the ball and catch de gea off-guard.
olympiacos did not sit on their lead, instead seeking to extend it and they soon had united reeling as the 21-year-old campbell collected a loose ball and, after evading michael carrick, fired a delicious curling shot past de gea. his maiden uefa champions league goal could not have been better timed.
david moyes shuffled his deck, bringing on danny wellbeck and shinji kagawa, but the evening was all about olympiacos. michael olaitan almost made it 3-0 and even when united pushed on in the last ten minutes they lacked composure at the crucial time. robin van persie had the goal at his mercy at one point but, after doing the hard bit, speared his effort over the bar. ıt summed up united's night.
