Olympiacos Piraeus claimed a narrow victory away to Levadiakos in the Greek Super League 1, winning 1-0 on Sunday evening. The result came in the fifth round of the regular season at the Levadias Stadium, with Manolis Saliakas finding the net in the 90+2 minute to decide the contest. Olympiacos moved into sixth place, while Levadiakos remain rooted to 14th with just one point from five matches.
The game had been a tight affair until the final moments, with both sides traded yellow cards and neither able to break the deadlock through regular play. Olympiacos dominated possession at 71 per cent and generated 130 attacks compared to Levadiakos' 58, but their finishing lacked conviction. They created two big chances against one for the home side, yet shots on target were barely split — three for Olympiacos, four for Levadiakos.
The first yellow card arrived in the 18th minute when Giannis Kosti went into the book for Levadiakos, and Giorgos Nikas followed 23 minutes into the second half. By then Olympiacos had brought on Roman Yaremchuk and Chiquinho in the 59th minute, looking for something different. David Carmo received a caution in the 65th minute, and Alexandru Grigoraş Pantea joined the list of booked players in the 72nd.
And here's the thing — the match remained deadlocked until Saliakas' late effort. Olympiacos made six substitutions throughout, bringing on Marcus Pedersen and Kostas Fortounis in the 66th minute alone. Jota Silva was withdrawn in the 76th minute after his own yellow card, while Moses David Cobnan came on for Levadiakos in the 78th. The home side made three changes, with Georgios Vrakas and Mahamadou Balde among those replaced.
The statistics tell you everything you need to know about a match where one goal was enough. Olympiacos completed 427 passes to Levadiakos' 212, with 390 passes into the opposition half against 125. They won 20 aerial duels to 14, and their 46 crosses versus 10 showed the direction of play. But shots accuracy was poor for both sides — 17 per cent for Olympiacos, 50 per cent for the hosts.
By then the standings had shifted in Olympiacos' favour, with the visitors now seven points from four games compared to Levadiakos' solitary point from five. The home side have lost three of their last four league matches, including heavy defeats to Panathinaikos and PAOK. Olympiacos' recent form has been more generous — a 4-0 win over Larisa and a 2-1 victory against Jagiellonia in European competition suggest they can still find their rhythm.
