Victory over Malin and a new positive example for Olympiakos with the shine of the “diamonds” of the future!

The “diamonds” of Olympiakos shone once again!

Following on from the very good performance he made against Ajax, his team Jose Luis Mendiliber prevailed easily with 2-0 of the clearly more ready Malin – in a few days he makes his debut in the Belgian league – in the second friendly of the “red and whites” on Dutch soil, leaving very positive impressions for the continuation of the preparation.

With the exception of the active ones Gelson Martins, Rodney and Ortegain front for the Piraeus also came out Mouzakitis, Papakanellos, Bakulas and Botisshowing that the “golden” generation of the Youth League came to stay in the men’s team!

Especially the Musicianwas the leader of the field, with many steals and battles in the midfield area, even achieving a amazing long range goal in the 5th minute, a goal reminiscent of Lamin Yamal’s against France in the semi-finals of Euro 2024!

The second goal was scored by Gelson Martins in the 28th minute, after pass of the “altruist”, Kostoulawho under other circumstances could end the phase on his own.

More generally, the Spanish coach of Olympiakos should feel satisfied with the image of his team, as he had quite good periods in the game – thanks to the era – with main feature… merciless high pressing and the quick transition to the attacking third of the pitch.

In… the coach’s mind:



In relation to yesterday’s game against Ajax, o Jose Luis Mendiliber he made eight changes to the basic format, but still having four youngsters in his eleven from the team’s “golden” batch with the victory of the Youth League. Specifically, Tzolakis was found under the goal, with Rodinei, Retso, Biancon and Ortega making up the foursome of the defense. Doi and Mouzakitis were in the midfield positions, with Gelson Martins and Apostolopoulos playing on the two wings, with Kostoula playing at the top of the attack, in front of Papakanellos.

The match:

As in yesterday’s game with Ajax, so today, o Olympic he entered the pitch with tremendous spirit and gusto, bringing intensity, runs and pressure high into his game. There were not a few times when the “red and white” they stole the ball in a critical spot on the field, thus coming out often in counterattack situations.

Having the upper hand in the match from the very first minute of the match, the Piraeus did not take long to transform their superiority into a lead, when in the 5th minute and after a lasting phase, o Musician with a terrific counter move, he emptied his opponent, catching a stunning long-range left-footed lob shotsending the ball curling into De Wolfe’s opposite corner for 1-0!

The first moment for the Belgians in the game came in the 11th minute with Tzolakis firmly blocking Loberbach’s drift shot, with the “red and whites” still in full control of the match. Thanks to his pressure and with excellent drivers Mouzakiti, Zelson Martins and Ortega, Olympiacos created another dangerous moment in the 26th minute with Rodiney’s missed shot. Two minutes later, Jose Luis Mendiliber saw his players work together brilliantly down the left, with Ortega slotting the ball into the Kostoulawho from an advantageous position within the region, preferred to “break” to Zelson Martis, who “relaxed” from nearby lifted him up score marker at 2-0!

Then and until the end of the first half, the pace of the game dropped a bit, however, the Greek team never lost control of the tempo. Having great overlaps, and lots of them good build upstarting from the defense, Piraeus threatened again in the 40′ with the beautiful energy of Papakanellou to stop on the Malin keeper.

The scene was different at the beginning second halfwith Olympiakos making three changes, throwing in their match Boti, Costinia and Abby. In fact, Costinia and Rodinei played together on the right wing, with the Brazilian in a winger role, while the entry of Abi brought Biancone to the axis area. Some changes, some fatigue, but also Malin’s competitive rise, did not allow the Piraeus to reach the high standards of the first half.

Of course, this did not mean that the Belgians controlled the pace, but that the match was now played at a slower tempo, without any team being essentially a threat. With the… good morning of the replay anyway, the “red and white” almost made it 3-0, when after magical digging of Papakanellos, Gelson Martins was awarded the ball, with the Portuguese winger being pulled down by an opponent in the area, with the referee however not to see the offense penalty!

On the hour mark, Malin began to threaten, with Fleke’s long-range shot Botis clears hard in the corner. Two minutes later, Biancone’s direct free kick from a good point found the bodies of opponents. The entry of Masouras and Bakula on the field in the 69th minute of the match, he refreshed the Olympiakos midfield quite a bit.

It is indicative that the good opportunity came from the feet of the 19-year-old midfielder in the 81st minute with Masoura’s header with the ball going just wide, while, seconds later, after stealing it Rodney sent the ball with a strong shot to the crossbar, by Masoura to get the rebound and to mark in turn the right slash! In fact, in the delays of the match, the Piraeus recorded two more good phases with Masoura and Chikinio.

Olympiakos (Jose Luis Mediliber): Tzolakis (46′ Botis), Rodinei, Retsos (69′ Koutsidis), Biancon, Apostolopoulos (69′ Biel), Ortega, Mouzakitis (69′ Bakulas, Doi (46′ Abi), Martins (69′ Masouras), Papakanellos (82 ‘ Tsikinio), Kostoulas (46’ Kostinia).

Watch the match live here.