MX23RW : Friday, November 22 19:34:28| >> :120:4722:4722:
[monks data]
Arsenal logo
Champions League | Group Stage
Sep 29, 2015 at 7.45pm UK
 
Olympiacos

2-3

Walcott (35'), Sanchez (65')
FT(HT: 1-2)
Pardo (32'), Ospina (40' og.), Finnbogason (66')

Arsenal succumb to defeat against Olympiacos in frenzied five-goal thriller

Arsenal succumb to a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Olympiacos in Tuesday night's Champions League Group F clash at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal have succumbed to a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Olympiacos in Tuesday night's Champions League Group F clash at the Emirates Stadium.

Olympiakos's Icelandic striker Alfred Finnbogason (C) celebrates scoring their third goal during the UEFA Champions League Group F football match between Arsenal and Olympiakos at The Emirates Stadium in north London on September 29, 2015. © Getty Images

Following a tentative start in North London, the hosts were first to threaten as Theo Walcott beat the offside trap seven minutes in and sent a cross into space, but defender Alberto Botia was able to clear.

Three minutes later the Gunners managed to repel an Olympiacos free kick before launching a counter-attack that saw Walcott fire straight at opposition goalkeeper Roberto.

The visitors slowly grew into the game as, 22 minutes in, Pajtim Kasami skinned past Francis Coquelin and picked out Konstantinos Fortounis on the edge of the box, but the resulting shot sailed wide of David Ospina's left-hand post.

Arsenal began to struggle against their opponents and, just after the half-hour mark, found themselves a goal down when Felipe Pardo's effort at the edge of the hosts' box took a deflection off Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and wrongfooted Ospina en route to the back of the net.

Arsenal's Spanish defender Hector Bellerin (L) looks on as (L-R) Olympiakos's Greek defender Dimitris Siovas, Olympiakos's Colombian midfielder Felipe Pardo, Olympiakos's Brazilian defender Leandro Salino and Olympiakos's Spanish defender Alberto Botia ce© Getty Images

It didn't take long for Arsene Wenger's side to pull level, however, just three minutes elapsing before Alexis Sanchez marauded down the right before cutting back to Walcott, who showed great composure inside the box to rifle home.

Nevertheless Olympiacos would go on to end the half in the lead as, just five minutes before the break, Fortounis's corner was spilled by Ospina and, as he attempted to gather it, crossed the goalline.

The Gunners set about trying to get back into the game after the restart, but it took them until the hour mark to fashion some concrete chances, with two coming in quick succession.

First, Aaron Ramsey's attempt to cross to Sanchez down the right wing saw Roberto leap into action and punch the ball into the path of Per Mertesacker, who forced a save from the goalkeeper before Esteban Cambiasso cleared off the line from Santi Cazorla.

Arsenal's Chilean striker Alexis Sanchez (L) takes on Olympiakos's Swiss midfielder Pajtim Kasami (R) during the UEFA Champions League Group F football match between Arsenal and Olympiakos at The Emirates Stadium in north London on September 29, 2015.© Getty Images

Arsenal fans celebrated in the 66th minute when Sanchez latched on to Sanchez's cross to fire home an equaliser, but within a minute they fell behind for a third time, Alfred Finnbogason tapping in Pardo's low cross after Cambiasso had played him in.

The latter stages of the game saw the Gunners continue to probe forward, but they could not muster up a third leveller as their opponents saw out the game to clinch all three points.

The result means that Arsenal slip to the bottom of Group F with two defeats from two, while the Greek giants climb to second in the group.

ID:249481: cacheID:249481:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:7798:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Felipe Pardo (L) of Olympiacos celebrates scoring his teams opening goal during the UEFA Champions League Group F match between Arsenal FC and Olympiacos FC at the Emirates Stadium on September 29, 2015 in London, United Kingdom.
Read Next:
Half-Time Report: Arsenal behind against Olympiacos
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
FT
Steelers
19-24
Browns
Tables header RHS

League Phase

TeamPWDLPTS
1Liverpool440012
2Sporting Lisbon431010
3Brest431010
4Inter Milan431010
5Monaco431010
6Barcelona43019
7Dortmund43019
8Aston Villa43019
9Atalanta42208
10Juventus42117
11Lille42117
12Man City42117
13Arsenal42117
14B. Leverkusen42117
15Celtic42117
16Dinamo Zagreb42117
17AC Milan42026
18Bayern42026
19Benfica42026
20Feyenoord42026
21Real Madrid42026
22Brugge42026
23Atletico42026
24PSV41215
25Sparta Prague41124
26Stuttgart41124
27PSG41124
28Shakhtar41124
29Girona41033
30Salzburg41033
31Bologna40131
32RB Leipzig40040
33Sturm Graz40040
34Young Boys40040
35Red Star40040
36Slovan Bratislava40040


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!