Olympiacos Piraeus saw off Volos NFC 3-2 in the Greek Cup's second round on Tuesday, a result that followed hard on the heels of their draw three days earlier. The match at Karaiskakis Stadium ended with the hosts holding firm after a late surge from the visitors. A. Gonzalez opened the scoring just before half-time and added a second early in the second period, but Volos refused to lie down.
A. Gonzalez found space in the box at the 42-minute mark to give Olympiacos the lead, and by then the visitors were already on the back foot. He doubled the advantage at 50 minutes, capitalising on a defensive error that Volos would later rue. D. Carmo picked up a yellow card for the hosts at 39 minutes, a caution that came as Volos were trying to find their rhythm in the opening quarter.
Volos made three changes at 58 minutes, bringing on Joca, Xesc and D. Agyakwa in a bid to shift momentum. The ploy worked partially: G. Puerta pulled one back at 68 minutes, and the game looked set for another stalemate. But M. Gonzalez restored Olympiacos' lead at 79 minutes, and the visitors refused to surrender. G. Charalaboglou scored a late consolation at 89 minutes, but the result was already decided.
Olympiacos dominated possession at 67 percent and registered 90 attacks compared to Volos' 42. The visitors showed greater efficiency, hitting 50 per cent of their shots on target against 33 per cent for the hosts. Volos made 28 clearances and won 20 tackles, while Olympiacos relied on their numerical superiority in midfield. Both sides showed one yellow card each.
The victory keeps Olympiacos progressing in the competition, while Volos have now drawn twice in as many meetings with their opponents. The hosts have won four of their last five league games, but this cup tie proved more testing than the statistics suggested. Three goals in the final half-hour meant the match went down to the wire.
