It was not easy… The truth is that until the 25′ Olympiakos almost lost everything…

This evening proved how decisive was the goal in the third minute of the extra time of the first round, with which the Reds had managed to win.

Even if Olympiacos’ appearance was not anything special, we should not forget that the champions’ players knew very well how important this match was for the club.

In a match where many millions were at stake, it was reasonable that they were stressed. The Reds controlled the rhythm of the game, but they saw Rijeka coming close to a goal twice out of nowhere.

Olympiacos from that point on dominated fully on the pitch until the end of the first half, losing great opportunities to permanently “lock” the qualification.

It was Marko Marin that scored the winning goal on the 25’.

Olympiacos managed for the 18th time to be among the “golden” clubs of the UEFA Champions League.

The Reds return after a year’s absence, since last year they were eliminated in the qualifiers by Israel’s Hapoel Bever Seva and so participated in the Europa League.

Since the 1997-98 season when they made their debut in the new Champions League event, they have participated in almost all of their season, except three times, 2008-9, 2010-11 and last year.

In total, they have played 110 games in Champions League and the knockout phases, counting 38 wins, 20 draws and 52 defeats. Their home record is 31 wins, 11 draws and 13 defeats, while at the away games they have 7 wins, 9 draws and 39 defeats.