UEL: Olympiacos Defeat Porto 1-0 to Boost Europa League Hopes

Porto's Europa League hopes suffered a setback as they fell to a 1-0 defeat against Olympiacos, who moved closer to securing a top-eight finish.

Porto's hopes of advancing in the UEFA Europa League took a significant blow as they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Olympiacos at the Estadio do Dragao. This loss, in their penultimate Europa League matchday, puts Porto at risk of falling outside the top 24 in the league phase standings.

The match marked Porto's first game under interim manager Jose Tavares, who took charge following the sacking of Vítor Bruno on Monday. Tavares' tenure got off to a disappointing start, with Porto struggling to create scoring opportunities in the first half. The hosts' best chance of the opening 45 minutes came in the 41st minute, but Udinese loanee Nehuen Perez failed to make sufficient contact on Samu Aghehowa's inviting header across goal.

Olympiacos, meanwhile, posed a threat through teenager Christos Mouzakitis, whose long-range strike was well held by Diogo Costa. The match continued to be marred by scrappy play, with numerous fouls, poor passing, and questionable decision-making. As the contest wore on, Tavares made changes to his lineup, introducing Goncalo Borges in place of Pepe just before the hour mark.

Despite the substitutions, Porto were unable to find the breakthrough, and Olympiacos ultimately emerged victorious. The defeat leaves Porto facing an uphill battle to progress in the Europa League, with a crucial clash against Maccabi Tel Aviv looming next week. Nehuen Perez's yellow card, which rules him out of the upcoming match, only adds to Porto's woes.

Goncalo Borges' introduction to the game almost paid immediate dividends as his cross was fumbled by Olympiacos goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis. However, Panagiotis Retsos intervened at the crucial moment, blocking Rodrigo Mora's shot to spare Tzolakis' blushes.

The match continued to ebb and flow, with both teams creating scoring opportunities. Diogo Costa, Porto's goalkeeper, made a notable save, diving to his left to deny Kristoffer Velde, who had been expertly picked out by Christos Mouzakitis. Shortly after, Ayoub El Kaabi squandered a gilt-edged chance, cutting inside Tiago Djalo before seeing his effort blocked by Nehuen Perez.

Ημίχρονο. Πόρτο - Ολυμπιακός 0-0. / Half-time. Porto - Olympiacos 0-0.#Olympiacos #FCPOLY #UEL #HalfTime pic.twitter.com/1fWXIzjZCi

— Olympiacos FC (@olympiacosfc) January 23, 2025

As the clock ticked down, Porto manager Jose Tavares introduced Fabio Vieira and Ze Pedro in a bid to snatch a winner. However, it was Olympiacos who ultimately broke the deadlock, courtesy of El Kaabi's composed finish after being found in space by Mouzakitis. The Moroccan's goal proved to be the decisive moment in the match.

In the dying embers of the game, Konstantinos Tzolakis ensured that Olympiacos' lead remained intact, producing a smart save to deny Fabio Vieira. The Olympiacos goalkeeper then launched a long kick forward deep into injury time, which found substitute Roman Yaremchuk. Although Yaremchuk rounded Diogo Costa to finish, the goal was ultimately ruled out for offside by VAR. Despite this, Olympiacos will be delighted with the outcome, which gives them a fighting chance of finishing in the top eight when they host Qarabag next week.