Champions League Liveblog: Olympiakos v Real Madrid

By: Steve | November 6th, 2007

Hala Madrid! Good news, Madridistas! Yours truly will be liveblogging tonight’s Champions League match from the comforts of my own home… For our UK readers, it’s on Sky Sports Xtra at 7:30pm. With a win tonight, Los Merengues will likely secure a spot in the knockout stages, though finishing top of the group will require another result later. Check out Corey’s preview of the match.

Sorry about the Sevilla match, a high school buddy of mine had his 30th birthday on Saturday night, so we did it up pretty good. But no worries about tonight, it’s on like Donkey Kong! Tune in later!

PREGAME: Ok, so it’s Casillas, Marcelo, Heinze, Cannavaro, Ramos, Sneijder, Robinho, Gago, Diarra, Ruud and Raul. I guess Pepe might get a run out in the second half if they’re in the lead.
PREGAME: Olympiakos goes with an attacking 4-3-3 formation at home, with Galletti, LuaLua and Kovacevic spearheading the front line. Our old friend Raul Bravo is in the lineup as the leftback. I hope Robinho goes to town on him.
PREGAME: Reader John has just pointed out that without Guti, we might have trouble moving the ball upfield. I agree with the sentiment, especially if Olympiakos pressures quickly on Diarra and Gago. The latter has good passing ability, but he’s only shown it sporadically, so we’ll see what happens.
PREGAME: Ooh, bad stat for Los Merengues… Real haven’t won away in their last 3 Champions League matches.
PREGAME: Refs are from Croatia, I think they said…
PREGAME: We’re almost underway… i really like Casillas’ uniform. I might get one.
1min: So apparently, Robinho is on the LEFT, and Sneijder is on the RIGHT… a switch from Schuster’s usual formation, but maybe he recognizes that Robinho is best on the left flank, and since Sneijder is ambidextrous foot-wise…
3min: I think Madrid is defending farther back than they did against Valencia, and that makes life more difficult for the forwards, without having the easy short passes to work with.
7min: We’ll be seeing more of the long ball tonight, though Ruud is plenty able to handle that. Unfortunately, the rest of the team isn’t built for that type of football, so we’ll see how effective the tactic is.
8min: One thing that bodes well though is that Olympiakos apparently haven’t kept a clean sheet in Champions League play in over 3 years. Woohoo!
10min: But then again, Olympiakos haven’t lost against Real at home. EVER.
11min: Ouch, Casillas gets booked for tripping up Galletti just outside the box… Free kick gets cleared away though.
13min: Reckless tackle attempts by a couple Real players leads to a shot attempt by LuaLua, but Heinze luckily (unluckily?) gets his face in the way… that caught him flush in the head.
14min: Ooh, Robinho gets released (perhaps a tad offside) down the right wing, but his shot is stopped brilliantly by Nikopolidis.
16min: Sergio Ramos just got booked for something off-camera…
17min: A bit of trickery on Real’s free kick from 31 metres out… Sneijder runs at it first, steps over the ball and continues to run down the right side of the box, before Raul feeds him the ball from the spot… but no result.
20min: More pressure from Real now… but the passing is still iffy. Ruud was cleanly tackled from the ball on a one-on-one (what Helguera couldn’t do a week ago)…
21min: Good buildup play by Olympiakos, but the cross from LuaLua was too high for Kovacevic.
24min: A terrible back pass from Julio Cezar leads to a Real corner… and the kick from Sneijder is low but an Olympiakos defender is lucky not to score an own goal after his touch goes off the post.
27min: Ouch! Galletti is lucky not to get a card after throwing his leg out on a challenge and catching Raul on the knee…
29min: Ugh, Real is giving up possession far too easily. They’re not able to build up play up the middle or on
the left flank through Robinho, so Gago thumps it and it’s intercepted. Ugly.
30min: AHHH! Robinho was through alone on Nikopolidis on a great pass, but the linesman gets it wrong on an offside call. Brutally bad.
34min: Every single Real player is having a too-heavy touch on his passes… it’s just ugly, they pass the ball around well for about 10-15 seconds, and then someone tries to thread the needle and the touch is not there.
36min: AHHH! Another glorious chance for Real… except this time everyone thought it was offside, but it wasn’t and Ruud’s lob goes off the crossbar and gets cleared… unbelievable.
38min: For all the talk of Sneijder not being a playmaker, he did get Ruud the ball on that last chance, and it was perfect. Ruud should’ve tried to go round the keeper… but like i said earlier, his touch was a bit heavy and the ball didn’t go in.
40min: How is Olympiakos keeping possession so well? Damn it, I counted at least 5 tackle attempts on that last build-up, but Real just couldn’t get a foot on the ball. It all led to an Olympiakos corner… which was cleared by Diarra…
44min: Djordevic gets booked for an off-ball foul, blocking and felling Gago in the midfield…
45min: Ugh, Real is now doing a great job of moving the ball around, but Olympiakos is doing well to keep it on the perimeter, not allowing any open passing lanes into the penalty area…
45+1min: And that’s it, just 1 minute of extra time in the first half, which has been relatively uneventful. The stats will say that there were a couple shots on goal for both teams, but there weren’t any real chances for Olympiakos, and Madrid only threatened 3 times.
HALFTIME: Well, it’s been a dismal game, at best. Madrid isn’t exactly playing bad, but Olympiakos is doing just enough to kill any fluidity to the Real attack.
HALFTIME: Well, on the halftime replays, I’ve clearly missed a couple things… 1. In the first few minutes, LuaLua got a first shot in on an overhead bicycle kick that went straight into Casillas’ hands. 2. On the corner after Ruud’s chip off the crossbar, Sergio Ramos was clear for a header without any defenders around him, but he failed to put it on target.
HALFTIME: Shots are 5-4 in favour of Madrid, which doesn’t really say much actually… Good chances have been definitely in Real’s favour.
HALFTIME: The assistant ref on the left side of the field (from the TV camera’s POV) is having a terrible day… The commentators think he’s blown 3 calls. Hopefully, Real’s attack will be more effective with a better linesman going the other way…
HALFTIME: I don’t expect any changes yet, but look for some substitutions within 15-20 minutes if things don’t improve…
46min: No changes for either side…
47min: Raul Bravo goes down after getting his left leg in the way of a surging Sergio Ramos…
48min: Stoltidis gets a yellow card for taking down Diarra…
51min: Much better intent on Real’s part now, much better movement, but the passing is still letting them down…
52min: Archubi comes on for Raul Bravo, who’s clearly suffering from that challenge on Ramos.
53min: Ugly, ugly passing… Sneijder passes behind Ramos, stopping his forward movement, and then from a standstill, Ramos boots a terrible cross that lands out of bounds.
54min: Oh! Total miscommunication between Cannavaro and Ramos, both going for the ball, and only the lack of precision on the Olympiakos attackers stops them from scoring.
56min: Olympiakos now attacking with more intent, as Real looks a bit shaky in the back. Djordevic gets free on the left, but his cross is easily handled by Casillas… and then going the other way, Sneijder tries to get Robinho the feed down the right, but Nikopolidis does well to intercept.
59min: A strong free kick from Sneijder, 41 metres out, crosses onto the path of Ruud at the far post, but he can’t get there quick enough to get a good boot on it and it goes out. Good attempt.
60min: Commentators are suggesting Raul might get subbed first, because he’s been quite anonymous… not having a good night at all.
62min: Ugh, Ruud beats the offside trap, but decides to backheel it to Raul who promptly loses control and gives the ball away. The Dutchman should’ve turned and shot the ball.
65min: More pressure by Real, with Ruud putting the ball on target this time, but Nikopolidis secures it before Raul can get to it.
67min: Phew, Cannavaro blows a clearing attempt, hooking the long pass attempt straight to LuaLua who smashes it off-target. Lucky.
68min: Ugly loose play inside the Olympiakos box results in a quick shot by Sneijder and a save by Nikopolidis… Corner for Real goes for naught.
70min: Robinho shanks a kick way past the far post, after a good first touch to control the ball…
71min: Olympiakos looks like they’re tiring out, not putting as much pressure on Real now… The Greek team does have 6 players over 30…
72min: Little give-and-go for Raul and Sneijder results in a shot from the newcomer that Nikopolidis does well to push away.
73min: Robinho dances past 2 defenders only to shoot it straight it into the gut of Nikopolidis. This is not going to end well.
74min: For all intents and purposes, Real have as much chance in the match now, even with the home crowd backing Olympiakos…
74min: Second substitution for Olympiakos, Julio Cesar off for Mendrinos.
76min: Olympiakos doesn’t look like they’re planning to attack again. All 11 players are behind the halfway line.
77min: Real must be sniffing blood in the water now… they’re retaining far more possession, but their touch is still letting them down. They’re just not in rhythm tonight.
78min: No indication of any substitutions for Real yet…
80min: Olympiakos makes their last switch. Kovacevic goes off for Konstantinou, who’s apparently the leading scorer for the Cypriot national team…
81min: Real is definitely missing the incisive passing that Guti provides. If he were around, I’m sure Real would be up by 2 or 3 goals by now…
82min: Finally, some subs from Real… Saviola and Balboa coming on for Robinho and Raul.
83min: A good push by Real ends in a pass just a tad too far for Saviola…
84min: LuaLua gets stopped in his tracks by the ref’s whistle for a high kick on Heinze, but the commentators are saying it was fair…
87min: Balboa is looking good on the ball…
87min: Ramos rumbles into the penalty area but doesn’t draw a foul.
88min: A Real corner goes over the crossbar as Ramos mishits his header again.
89min: Well, I suppose a draw wouldn’t be a bad thing, but Real will regret not doing better in the final third of the field.
90min: Olympiakos now moving with some intent, but Archubi launches one WAY over the goal even though he had Djordevic overlapping on his left…
92min: Now it’s back and forth action, but no one seems to be able to finish…
93min: Ugh, Real gives up a 3-on-2 in the last minute of play, and somehow gets away with it after the last pass to spring Djordevic goes awry… so lucky.
POSTGAME: And that’s it. A 0-0 draw. What a crappy game.
POSTGAME: Real move to 8 points in the group, Olympiakos go to 5 points. Lazio is leading Bremen 2-1, and I’ve just seen Diego get a straight red card in the 95th minute! That means he’ll miss the next group match against Real. Nice.
POSTGAME: Well, a draw away isn’t a bad result, but there were full points to be taken from this match and Real will have to do well against Bremen and Lazio to get them.
POSTGAME: A big shout-out to my buddy Apollo who joined in the comments…
POSTGAME: I think Real made a mistake by not attacking at Raul Bravo directly after he was injured but before he got taken off. He was clearly hurting and not at all able to move well, but Real swung the point of attack over to the left flank. Strange.
POSTGAME: So Lazio is also on 5 points while Bremen is last on 3 points. Beating Bremen at home would guarantee passage into the knockout stage for Real.
POSTGAME: Guti was clearly missed, and creative players like Robben and Higuain would’ve also done well. Looking at the rest of the subs bench, I don’t think there’s anyone else who could’ve really done the deed against a bend-not-break Olympiakos defense.
POSTGAME: So let’s get to individual reports… Casillas was again on his game, and a clean sheet is always a good thing. Marcelo generally played well, didn’t get caught out… he’s gotten far better as a defender than last year or even the beginning of this season. Cannavaro made a couple good stops, but also had a couple mistakes that led to solid chances for Olympiakos… First, the miscommunication with Ramos on a cross, and then not being able to clear a long pass into LuaLua. Heinze was generally solid, no complaints from me there. Ramos was off his game for sure. He wasn’t too effective in the first half for whatever reason, and though he started making better runs in the second half, his finishing was off completely.
POSTGAME: Gago did decently in the midfield, occasionally making seeing-eye passes, but too often his touch was off, though he was far from the only one suffering from that problem tonight. Diarra was decent, nothing to note. Sneijder had some good chances, so he was moving well, and he picked out Ruud for that lob that hit the crossbar, but his set piece kicks were nothing to write home about. Robinho did a bit too much standing and dancing instead of running at defenders and breaking ankles. As reader John wrote in the comments, his hot streak is over. Substitute Balboa seemed to do ok in his 10 minutes, but that comes against tired defenders, so it remains to be seen if he would be as good against fresh starters.
POSTGAME: Raul was anonymous for much of the match, only comoing alive in the last 15 minutes he was on the pitch. Ruud had a couple chances, but couldn’t convert that one glorious opportunity, and then foolishly backheeled to Raul when he should’ve kept it and shot the ball. Saviola wasn’t a factor at all.
POSTGAME: Well, Real still lead the group, but another unconvincing performance like this will end in a worse result against Bremen or Lazio. Real need to get Guti back, stat! Another playmaker in the Guti mold for the January transfer window would be nice too.
POSTGAME: Anyways, that’s it for me, Madridistas. See ya next time.