A DIONYSIAN ENCOUNTER
Olympiakos 2 West Ham 1
Arriving at the airport two days before the game, I count 160 people in front of me, and two passport officers on the gate. The first set of stats for this game already look a little one-sided. Add to that the fact that Panathinaikos’ game at Olympiakos last Sunday was abandoned halfway through due to crowd trouble, and the game ahead looks a challenge for the crowd and players alike. Football hooliganism? How very 1980s.
Just a point from the last two league games, and a need for reassurance from a good result in Europe, well it looks like last season all over again. Moyes’ team selection includes Mavropanus, whose brief flirtation with Greek football was as a teenage professional at PAS Giannina, who are currently twelfth out of fourteen in the Greek Super League.
Tonight Moyes has put the captain’s armband on Angelo Ogbonna and the scoring responsibilities on Ings and Kudus. Let’s see how that plays out.
Not very well, it would seem. Hammers have a lot of the early play but it is the old story of the final ball in and an inability to push home any advantage when in possession in the opponents’ half that grates. Also Mavropanus is having a rabbit in headlights’ nightmare. Given the chance as a Greek international to shine in Greece at a top Greek club in front of a bacchanalian crowd, he looks bang average. And this crowd are irresistible, reducing those of Lyon, Frankfurt and Alkmaar into a blurred hallucination.
Then, with very little in terms of real chances from either side, Hammers suddenly fall behind. Fortounis finds himself in momentary space and surprises Ariola with an early and well struck shot that beats him all ends up.
The goal awakens the sleeping Hammers, who immediately force two corners, but despite the promised height of Mavropanus and Ogbonna, Ward Prowse is unable to provide his assist magic of early season, and the set play opportunities go begging. Worse is to happen once injury time approaches, as Ogbonna and Ariola get into a dither over Rodinei’s goalbound effort which creeps in at the back post after neither manages to lay a leg or glove on it. Another look on replay reveals that actually Ogbonna does manage what proves to be a significant touch to send it past Ariola, who was otherwise saving it. (sad face) A couple of goals down at half time will take some coming back from. Why do I still feel optimistic? Not sure. It’s rarely been a feeling that has assisted the team in any genuine way, and I already know I am going to regret having it. The bloody brilliant Greeks. They mess with your mind.
Moyes sticks with the same XI at the start of the second half. Ward Prowse wins a free kick almost immediately. His first chance to hit the back of the net from a set play. He beats the wall and the outstretched fingertips of Paschalakis, but also the goalkeeper’s right hand post, by a whisker.
Bizarrely, however, a desperate but necessary triple substitution of Álvarez, Antonio and Bowen for Fornals, Benrahma and Ings has little effect initially. By 80 minutes events enter the twilight zone of desparation. Cornet comes on to add some pace to the inert forward line. Álvarez is playing supremely well and continues to push West Ham forward. If only he had started.
Out of nowhere appears a delicious controlled volley from Paquetá, with just two minutes left on the clock, from a deflected back spinning skier dropping into his path. Sadly even eight additional minutes don’t help the cause, but at least the game ends in hope.
At the final whistle, in a display of utter childishness, I visualise the scoreboard at London Stadium a fortnight from now, which proudly displays a final score of West Ham 6 Olympiakos 1. And, yes, I still appear to have given them a late consolation goal.
A final post script? The Greek Football League have awarded last weekend’s abandoned spartahoolifest to Panathinaikos, 3-0, and additionally deduct a point from Olympiakos, allowing Panathinaikos to swap places with them at the top of the league. Hoorah!
23 Alphonse Ariola, 23 Thilo Kehrer, 33 Emerson, 7 James Ward-Prowse 15 Konstantinos Mavropanus, 21 Angelo Ogbonna (captain), 28 Tomas Souček, 22 Saïd Benrahma, 8 Pablo Fornals, 14 Mohammed Kudus, 18 Danny Ings
Substitutes: 9 Michail Antonio, 11 Lucas Paquetá, 17 Maxwel Cornet, 19 Edson Álvarez, 20 Jarrod Bowen
Goalscorer: Lucas Paquetá
