Bruno Onyemaechi’s Olympiacos secured a 2-1 win at the Karaiskakis Stadium on Thursday, but it wasn’t enough as Bodo/Glimt sealed their passage to the quarterfinals of the Europa League with a 4-2 aggregate victory over the Greek side.
Bodo/Glimt had claimed a dominant 3-0 victory in the first leg between both sides courtesy of an early own goal by Konstantinos Tzolakis and an impressive brace from Kasper Waarts Hogh, giving the Norwegian side a significant advantage heading into the second leg.
As such, Olympiacos needed a miraculous comeback if they were to continue their quest to win another European trophy after their Conference League triumph last season.
Despite the passionate support from the home fans and after soaking up wave of attacks from Olympiacos, Bodo/Glimt extended their advantage in the 36th minute as Kasper Waarts Hogh scored against the Greek side once again to give the Norwegian team a 1-0 lead on the night and a 4-0 lead on aggregate.
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Needing four goals without reply to force extra-time, Jose Luis Mendilibar made two substitutions in the second half, introducing Christos Mouzakitis and Roman Yaremchuk. Mendilibar’s changes made an instant impact as Mouzakitis slipped a through pass for Yaremchuk who raced through on goal before placing a low shot into the back of the net to level the scoreline on the night and reduce the aggregate deficit to 4-1.
Not long after, Olympiacos got a chance to score again as Chiquinho was brought down inside the penalty box, prompting the referee to award a spot kick after going over to the VAR monitor to review the incident. However, the home side’s hopes temporarily vanished as Rodinei’s effort was saved by Nikita Haikin much to the frustration of the home supporters.
Undeterred by the setback, Olympiacos continued to attack and their efforts was rewarded in the 65th minute as both substitutes combined again with Mouzakitis picking out Yaremchuk who drilled a low strike into the bottom corner of the net to make the scoreline 2-1 on the night and 4-2 on aggregate.
Despite a flurry of attack from the home side, they were unable to score again and their optimism eventually faded when Tzolakis received a red card in the 88th minute, reducing them to ten men.
The numerical advantage gave Bodo/Glimt the breathing space they were in dire need of, helping them over the line as they secured a 4-2 win on aggregate to eliminate the Greek side while sealing their spot in the quarterfinal of the tournament.
The loss marks the end of the European road for Olympiacos, however, they will quickly turn their attention to the Super League where they will be eager to claim the title for the first time since 2022. Meanwhile, Bodo/Glimt will resume their mission to win their first ever Europa League title when they face Lazio in the quarterfinals.
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