Olympiakos wins at PAS Giannina, draws Osmanlispor
Olympiakos restored its seven-point lead at the top of the Super League on Monday downing ambitious PAS Giannina 2-0 away in a quite convincing performance against its 10-man host at Ioannina. On the same day it found out it will face Osmanlispor in the Europa League, while PAOK will come up against Schalke.
Coming from its 2-0 loss at APOEL Nicosia in Europe, the Reds needed a league win to calm the situation in Piraeus that was growing tense, having manager Paulo Bento in the spotlight.
PAS matched its opponent in the first half, but the two bookings for Andi Lila within three minutes just before half-time changed the shape of the game.
Indeed after the interval things went the Reds’ way, as Oscar Cardozo finally found his way to the net for his first goal in an Olympiakos jersey, and Seba made it 2-0 deep into injury time.
The Europa League draw is tougher than it appears on paper for Olympiakos, as the Greek champion will face an up-and-coming Turkish side in Piraeus on February 16 and in Ankara a week later for the Round of 32.
On the same dates PAOK will meet Germany’s Schalke, first in the Thessaloniki and then at Gelsenkirchen, for a spot in the Europa League’s round of 16.
