Match background
Olympiacos out to stop the rot
After nine Greek titles in ten seasons, Olympiacos CFP are now entering their tenth successive year of UEFA Champions League football. However, while getting into the group stage has proved no problem, getting out of it is another matter altogether. Olympiacos have progressed beyond the first stage only once during the last decade – in the 1998/99 season when they went all the way to the quarter-finals.

• Trond Sollied's men open their Group D campaign against the top seeds Valencia CF but at least they have the benefit of home advantage – they have never won in ten visits to Spain. Even at the Georgios Karaiskaki stadium, however, Olympiacos know they face a tough start against Spain's third-placed team in 2005/06.

Attacking strength
• Valencia coach Quique Sánchez Flores signed a trio of Spanish internationals over the summer in Asier del Horno, Fernando Morientes and Joaquín Sánchez. The €8m Italian striker Francesco Tavano was another arrival, but it is Morientes who has made the headlines with an impressive start.

• The former Real Madrid CF and Liverpool FC front man struck the first goal as Valencia overturned a 1-0 first-leg deficit with a 3-0 home win over FC Salzburg in the third qualifying round. David Villa and Silva were the other scorers.

• Olympiacos strengthened considerably in defence during the summer, their recruitments including Michal Zewłakow, Abdeslam Ouaddou, Didier Domi and Julio César. Another new face is Ecuadorian forward Félix Borja.

Previous encounters
• It finished honours even when the sides met in the 2000/01 UEFA Champions League group stage. Valencia won 2-1 at the Mestalla in September 2000 with Rubén Baraja among the scorers, and Olympiacos gained revenge with a 1-0 home victory thanks to Predrag Djordjević's penalty.

• That season Valencia ended up topping the group en route to a second successive final, but Olympiacos missed out on second place due to an inferior head-to-head record with Olympique Lyonnais.

• Overall, Olympiacos have won five of ten home matches against Spanish opposition, including a 2-1 triumph against Real Madrid CF last season. Valencia, meanwhile, have never tasted victory in three previous visits to Greece.

Striking records
• Valencia fans have unhappy memories of Olympiacos' Rivaldo, who struck a spectacular overhead-kick winner against them for Barcelona on the final day of the 2000/01 Spanish season. The goal took Barcelona into the following season's UEFA Champions League at Valencia's expense.

• Valencia's Morientes has found the net against Olympiacos twice before. He was on target when Real Madrid beat the Greek team 5-1 in the group stage in October 1997 and repeated the trick when the sides met again at the Santiago Bernabéu at the same stage two years later.

Valencia Crush Olympiacos Away

Valencia clawed back Olympiacos’ one-goal deficit to eventually thrashed them 4-2 away tp leave Greece with three valuable points. A deja vu terrible start for the Greek double-winners, who last season suffered another humiliating home defeat, from Rosenborg then.

Olympiacos started with a clear attacking diathesis for an early goal and through a quick move by Nerri Castillo, Michalis Konstantinou and Rivaldo came close to one just a few seconds into the match. Captain Predrag Djordjevic and Ieroklis Stoltidis were the supporting forces whose role was to feed their three forwards.

On the other hand Miguel Ángel Angulo and David Villa were constant threats to the Olympiacos defense and the custodian of the Greek giants, Antonis Nikopolidis, who was forced into a couple of good saves before seeing Olympiacoss’ Uaddou heading wide from close range after ten minutes and missing a great chance to open the scoring.

Two minutes later Domi surpassed Miguel but his cross from the left wing was blocked by Santiago Canizarez who did the same again a few seconds later with Djordjevic’s effort.

Cañizares had a lot of work to do as Rivaldo, this time, fired a free kick that made Valencia’s keeper fly to parry the ball away in the 15th minute.

Gradually, Olympiacos won the ball possession and pressed the Spanish outfit further in their half. Only experienced Angulo could be characterized as a threat for Trond Sollied’s men.

Ieroklis Stoltidis and Domi could have given the advantage to the home-side but their shots failed to worry Valencia’s goalkeeper.

Indeed, three minutes before the half-hour Michalis Konstantinou managed to escape behind Valencia’s Ayala and Miguel and drive their 33,000 friends crazy as he put Olympiacos ahead with a shot from close range after a Pantelis Kafes cross.

However, everything changed shortly after the 1-0 when Valencia replied back with a goal from Fernando Morientes. The Spanish international was fed by Villa and in front of Olympiacos unguarded net had no problem to draw level on 34 minutes.

Morientes was unstoppable and six minutes before the recess gave the advantage to Quique’s team sending the ball to Olympiacos unguarded again net. Angulo’s shot was deflected off by Nikopolidis who could do little but see Morientes take the rebound and make it easily 2-1.

In the second period, Sollied tried to strengthen their defense line in the right wing, where Villa and Angulo were constant threats and introduced Tassos Pantos in the place of Michal Zewlakow. Not a very inspired move as Pantos seemed to be more focused on the attacking attempts of his club. As a result, Villa twice found the chance to shoot from inside the box to force Nikopolidis in two great saves.

Michalis Konstantinou almost equalized eight minutes after the interval but Cañizares with a one-hand save managed to send the ball wide left.

Valencia gave space waiting to capitalize on quick counter-attacks with Villa and Morientes, while Olympiacos were getting even more threatening with Rivaldo’s intelligent efforts.

It was another South American, though, who created all the danger for the visiting side; Uruguayan striker, Nerri Alberto Catillo, chested down a long ball by Predrag Djordjevic and shot past Santiago Cañizares to level the match in the 66th minute.

David Silva took Jaime Gavilán’s place in an attempt by Sanchez Flores to awaken his team who looked scared after the second goal of the Greek side.

Olympiacos kept pressing forward and through Rivaldo missed great chance to take the lead as the Brazilian star kicked the ball long over Valencia’s crossbar fifteen minutes from time.

With five minutes to go, however, David Silva proved to be a wise choice for Flores and a golden substitute for Valencia as he fired a powerful left-foot shot from inside the box after a corner-kick that made it 3-2.

On 90 minutes Morientes simply wrote off Olympiacos’ last hopes heading home, again after a corner-kick to close the encounter.

OLYMPIACOS: Nikopolidis: Zewlakow (Pantos, min. 46), Anatolakis (Julio Cesar, min. 68), Ouaddou, Domi; Kafes, Stoltidis, Rivaldo; Castillo, Djordjevic & Konstantinou.

VALENCIA: Cañizares; Miguel, Ayala, Albiol, Moretti; Angulo, Edu, Marchena, Gavilán (Silva, min. 71); Villa (Regueiro, min. 80) & Morientes (Jorge López, min. 90).

Morientes hat-trick hits Olympiacos

Fernando Morientes struck a superb hat-trick as Valencia came from behind to defeat Olympiacos 4-2 in Champions League Group D.

Valencia, who had not won in previous three visits to Greece, looked to be heading for a 2-2 draw until late strikes from defender Raul Albiol and Morientes handed Quique Sanchez Flores' team a valuable away victory in what was a pulsating encounter in Athens.

Earlier Morientes had struck twice in the first half to cancel out Michalis Konstantinou's 28th-minute opener for Trond Sollied's side.

Argentinian forward Nery Alberto Castillo also capped a fine personal performance with a well-taken second-half equaliser six minutes after the hour mark until the late drama sealed victory for Valencia.

Albiol found himself with space on the edge of the penalty area in the 85th minute and he rifled in a thunderous shot after Olympiacos failed to clear substitute Mario Rogueiro's left-wing corner.

And the visitors were celebrating again in the last minute when Morientes rose above Abdeslam Ouaddou to head home David Silva's left-wing corner.

Valencia created the best chance of the opening stages after six minutes down the left flank. Morientes picked up Emiliano Moretti's pass and teed up Albiol on the edge of the penalty area, but the defender shot straight at Olympiacos goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis.

Olympiacos responded by creating a great chance of their own four minutes later from a set-piece after Predrag Djordjevic was fouled by Miguel wide on the left.

Rivaldo's free-kick was met by Ouaddou but his glancing header at the near post flashed agonisingly wide.

Valencia goalkeeper Santiago Canizares had to be on his toes again from the same flank in the 14th minute to gather a dangerous Djordjevic cross and parry a Rivaldo free-kick two minutes later as Olympiacos began to apply pressure.

The hosts were rewarded for their dominance after 28 minutes when Konstantinou opened the scoring, the Cyprus striker chesting down Ieroklis Stoltidis' superb chipped pass before guiding a low shot past Canizares.

The lead lasted just six minutes though as Valencia struck back through Morientes. The 30-year-old striker had the simple task of tapping home from close range after David Villa tricked his way past Ouaddou on the left and delivered an excellent assist.

The Spaniards then went ahead five minutes later with Morientes again on target. Miguel Angel Angulo latched on to a long pass from the defence and although his shot under pressure from Giorgos Anatolakis was saved by Nikopolidis, Morientes clipped in the rebound with the home keeper stranded.

Konstantinou wasted the chance to level the scores just three minutes after the restart when he guided a Didier Domi cross from the left wide of the post at full stretch.

However it was the visitors who looked most likely to score as Villa passed up two chances in three minutes, the striker shooting straight at Nikopolidis both times when one-on-one with the keeper.

Olympiacos responded immediately though and could have been back on level terms 30 seconds later if not for the brilliance of Canizares, who made a fantastic finger-tip save to deny Konstantinou's header from a Rivaldo cross.

Rivaldo was denied by the visiting keeper a couple of minutes later when Canizares touched another free-kick from the Brazilian wide.

The home crowd were up on their feet again six minutes after the hour mark when Castillo netted a well-taken equaliser.

A Djordjevic long ball caught the Valencia defence off guard and the Argentinian forward chested the ball down before slotting home a low shot into the bottom right corner.

Olympiacos had their tails up and should have gone ahead in the 76th minute.

Castillo chased a lost cause and crossed from the right for Konstantinou, but his effort was blocked and the ball fell to Rivaldo, who blazed high and wide from close range with only Canizares to beat.

That was to prove the last attack for the hosts as Valencia moved up a gear in the closing stages to seal victory.

They moved ahead again with just five minutes left when Albiol powered in a loose ball from a corner and Morientes delivered the icing on the cake for his side by heading home another left-wing corner in the final minute.