Olympiacos 2-1 West Ham United
UEFA Europa League Group A matchday three, Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Thursday 26 October 2023, 7.45pm EEST (5.45pm BST)
As West Ham United prepared to kick-off in their UEFA Europa League Group A matchday three tie at Olympiacos, a huge banner was unfurled by the Greek club’s supporters with the words ‘Tonight you dine in hell’ emblazoned across it.
And while the message may have been a touch melodramatic, it proved prophetic as the Hammers fell to their first European defeat in 18 matches amid relentless noise from those same supporters at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium on Thursday evening.
Olympiacos captain Kostas Fortounis and an own-goal from Angelo Ogbonna did the damage in the 15 minutes before half-time and, despite sending on five substitutes after the break and seeing one of them, Lucas Paquetá, score a fine volley late on, David Moyes’ side were ultimately unable to silence the passionate home crowd.
Visiting their 12th different country since returning to European competition just over two years ago, the Hammers were welcomed to Greece by arguably the loudest and most intimidating atmosphere they have faced in any of their 15 away ties.
The Olympiacos supporters were singing from well over an hour before kick-off, whistled every West Ham player and staff member who emerged from the tunnel, then roared their own team onto the pitch to the strains of AC/DC’s ubiquitous stadium anthems ‘Thunderstruck’ and ‘Highway to Hell’.
West Ham kicked-off hoping to extend their 17-match unbeaten run in European competition – a record for English clubs – while Olympiacos had failed to win any of their previous eleven UEFA Europa league group-stage matches.
Those statistics counted for nothing as the home side, roared on non-stop by their supporters, took advantage of a lacklustre first half performance from the Premier League side to register their first win of the group stage.
While Moyes’ side were restricted to speculative long-range shots and a handful of corners, Diego Martínez’s team carried a threat throughout, seeing shots from Sotiris Alexandropoulos and Mady Camara saved and blocked respectively.
Olympiacos eventually took the lead on 33 minutes when captain Fortounis was given time to turn in midfield, burst away from James Ward-Prowse and Pablo Fornals and prod an accurate finish into the bottom left-hand corner from 20 yards.
If that goal increased the noise levels even further inside the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, the roof was lifted off when the Greeks doubled their lead in added time, albeit in slightly fortuitous circumstances. Right-back Rodinei, who had attacked throughout, cut inside and saw his left-foot cross sliced past his own goalkeeper by Angelo Ogbonna.
West Ham threatened sporadically and struggled to maintain possession once they crossed halfway. When they did, Fornals saw an early shot easily gathered by Alexandros Paschalakis, before the Greece international goalkeeper denied Danny Ings with a block seconds before half-time.
The Irons did start the second half brighter, with Ward-Prowse curling a free-kick wide before Ings shot and then headed efforts over the crossbar.
With that, Moyes called three Europa Conference League winners in Michael Antonio, Jarrod Bowen and Paquetá from the bench. However, the Brazilian was booked within six minutes of his introduction, swiftly followed by Emerson, Alexandropoulos and Antonio before the Olympiacos midfielder fired a rasping 30-yarder past the angle, Daniel Podence was denied by Areola and Ecuador international Jackson Porozo headed into the side netting.
West Ham upped their own intensity and grabbed a spectacular goal back when Paquetá volleyed in Quini’s clearance on 87 minutes.
However, after Fortounis had fizzed a low shot wide, the English side were unable to find an equaliser in eight added minutes and, ultimately, a proud European run came to an abrupt and noisy end.
Olympiacos: Paschalakis, Rodinei (Quini 75), Porozo, Retsos, Ortega, Alexandropoulous (Masouras 85), Camara, Hezze, Podence (Solbakken 85), El Kaabi (Scarpa 90+5), Fortounis © (Jovetić 90+5)
Subs not used: Tzolakis (GK), Papadoudis (GK), El-Arabi, Vrousas, João Carvalho, Pep Biel
Goals: Fortounis 33, Ogbonna 45+1 (og)
Booked: Retsos, Alexandropoulous, Camara, Masouras
West Ham United: Areola, Kehrer, Mavropanos, Ogbonna ©, Emerson, Ward-Prowse (Álvarez 72), Souček, Kudus (Cornet 72), Fornals (Paquetá 57), Benrahma (Bowen 57), Ings (Antonio 57)
Subs not used: Anang (GK), Cresswell, Johnson, Aguerd, Zouma, Mubama
Goal: Paquetá 87
Booked: Paquetá, Emerson, Antonio, Ogbonna
Referee: Andris Treimanis (Latvia)
