Olympiacos vs West Ham – LIVE!
West Ham’s long unbeaten run in Europe came to an end as they fell to a 2-1 defeat against Olympiacos. David Moyes’ side travelled to Athens having not tasted defeat in European competitions for 17 matches, a streak that included last season’s run to Europa Conference League glory, and it is an achievement that no English side has ever bettered.
West Ham could not make it even better themselves, as Konstantinos Fortounis fired the hosts in front and Angelo Ogbonna’s own goal just before half-time then doubled the size of the task facing the visitors. Lucas Paqueta’s superb volley gave West Ham some hope of rescuing a point with just a few minutes remaining, but that charge came too late from the visitors.
Moyes’ side remain top of Group A, level on points with Freiburg but above the Bundesliga side as a result of their win in Germany earlier this month. Olympiacos in third are just two points behind though, and have the chance to overtake the Hammers when they travel to London in a fortnight.
Olympiacos vs West Ham latest news
GOAL! Paqueta volley halves deficit late on
GOAL! Ogbonna turns ball into own net
GOAL! Fortounis gives Olympiacos first-half lead
FT: Olympiacos 2-1 West Ham
19:44 , Matt Verri
The hosts hold on!
West Ham give them a real scare late on, but the charge came too late.
The long unbeaten run in Europe is over.
Olympiacos 2-1 West Ham
19:42 , Matt Verri
90+7 mins: Nearly!
Paqueta dinks a cross into the middle, Soucek can’t keep the header down though and it loops over the bar.
Olympiacos 2-1 West Ham
19:41 , Matt Verri
90+5 mins: There will be a bit more than eight minutes played you’d imagine, Olympiacos taking their time over two more changes.
Cornet unable to keep the ball in play out wide, had to do better there. Poor touch, out for a goal kick.
Olympiacos 2-1 West Ham
19:37 , Matt Verri
90+2 mins: Jeers from the stands… they are very nervy.
Antonio down in the box, was he pulled back? Referee thinks not. Ball doesn’t quite fall for Cornet.
Story continues
It’s absolutely chaotic.
Olympiacos 2-1 West Ham
19:36 , Matt Verri
90 mins: Here we go… eight minutes added on!
There’s still time.
GOAL! Olympiacos 2-1 West Ham | Lucas Paqueta 86′
19:32 , Matt Verri
Or not!
Paqueta has been really poor since coming on, but he has just hammered a volley into the back of the net from the edge of the area. Stunning.
Olympiacos 2-0 West Ham
19:31 , Matt Verri
85 mins: Antonio looks to find Bowen… straight out of play.
Sums it up. West Ham pretty keen to hear the full-time whistle now, you’d imagine. Not happening for them.
Malik Ouzia at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium
19:29 , Matt Verri
You get the sense West Ham have given up the ghost a bit here.
There are opportunities for Olympiacos on the counter.
Olympiacos 2-0 West Ham
19:24 , Matt Verri
79 mins: Referee uninterested as Paqueta throws himself to the floor.
Olympiacos straight on the attack, Alexandropoulos into space as Alvarez dives in and doesn’t win the ball.
Decent chance to make it 3-0, but Areola makes the save at his near post.
Olympiacos 2-0 West Ham
19:21 , Matt Verri
76 mins: Paqueta has had a couple of really nice turns, but it’s otherwise been pretty poor from the Brazilian since he came on.
Loose on the ball, keeps giving it away cheaply. Not what the Hammers need.
Antonio meanwhile earns himself a yellow card for an entirely pointless shove off the ball.
Olympiacos 2-0 West Ham
19:18 , Matt Verri
73 mins: Two final changes for West Ham.
Alvarez and Cornet on in place of Ward-Prowse and Kudus.
Olympiacos 2-0 West Ham
19:16 , Matt Verri
71 mins: Paqueta loses the ball and Olympiacos are away on the counter.
Ball held up well, played back to Alexandropoulos and he rifles a shot just over the bar from 25 yards out. Great effort.
Olympiacos 2-0 West Ham
19:13 , Matt Verri
67 mins: Podence opens West Ham up with a great reverse pass, space for Alexandropoulos to get the shot away but it’s blocked.
There is no sign of a late charge from West Ham… at all.
Olympiacos 2-0 West Ham
19:10 , Matt Verri
64 mins: Yellow card for Paqueta, who goes down hoping to win a free-kick and then makes a couple of fouls of his own in quick succession.
It’s rarely dull when the Brazilian is involved – Alexandropoulos now into the book for dragging Paqueta down after a lovely piece of skill.
Olympiacos 2-0 West Ham
19:06 , Matt Verri
61 mins: Antonio thinks he’s had a shove in the back in the box, referee not even looking at him though.
Plenty of attacking talent on the pitch for West Ham – need a goal soon though to really shift the momentum of this match.
Olympiacos 2-0 West Ham
19:03 , Matt Verri
57 mins: Ward-Prowse swings a corner to the back post, Ings in space but can only loop the header onto the roof of the net.
Here are those West Ham changes, three of them in fact. Antonio, Paqueta and Bowen on for Fornals, Benrahma and Ings.
Malik Ouzia at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium
19:00 , Matt Verri
Cavalry inbound – Lucas Paqueta and Jarrod Bowen are imminent.
Olympiacos 2-0 West Ham
18:59 , Matt Verri
54 mins: Good to see both players back up and fine to continue.
And Emerson is straight into the action again, his pull back into the box is a really good one. Ball slightly behind Ings, but a big chance for the striker… blazes over the bar.
West Ham can’t afford to waste those kind of chances.
Olympiacos 2-0 West Ham
18:56 , Matt Verri
51 mins: Break in play, as Emerson bundles into Porozo.
Heavy collision between the pair, both have stayed down. On come the physios.
Olympiacos 2-0 West Ham
18:53 , Matt Verri
48 mins: Decent effort, but it’s always whipping wide. Goalkeeper had it covered anyway.
Positive start to the half though from West Ham. More like it.
Olympiacos 2-0 West Ham
18:52 , Matt Verri
47 mins: Not a good challenge at all from Retsos, high and late on Ings. Yellow card.
Referee initially tries to play advantage, Ward-Prowse will be delighted that he eventually blows the whistle for a free-kick. This is just about within range.
Back underway!
18:50 , Matt Verri
West Ham unbeaten in their last 17 matches in Europe… some 45 minutes needed here to make that 18!
That Ogbonna own goal…
18:39 , Matt Verri
Horrible moment for the West Ham captain.
HT: Olympiacos 2-0 West Ham
18:34 , Matt Verri
And that is half-time.
West Ham have a huge amount of work to do, that Ogbonna own goal leaving them in real trouble.
Olympiacos 2-0 West Ham
18:34 , Matt Verri
45+2 mins: It should be 2-1!
Straight from kick-off, West Ham on the attack and Ings wriggles his way into space in the box. Goalkeeper flies off his line and smothers the shot.
Ward-Prowse with the corner… cleared.
GOAL! Olympiacos 2-0 West Ham | Angelo Ogbonna 45+1′ OG
18:32 , Matt Verri
Disaster for West Ham!
Pretty much the final action of the first-half. Ball flung into the box, Ogbonna sticks out a leg on the stretch and turns it into his own net.
Malik Ouzia at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium
18:30 , Matt Verri
Olympiacos should have just had a corner, so much so that West Ham’s players were setting up to mark in the six-yard box and didn’t realise for a good ten seconds that a goal-kick had been given.
David Moyes was screaming at Areola to hurry up and take it before the referee could change his mind.
Olympiacos 1-0 West Ham
18:28 , Matt Verri
42 mins: West Ham are really open in midfield when they lost the ball, Soucek and Ward-Prowse are struggling to keep Fortounis quiet.
Hosts happy to just keep the ball for now, happy to try and see this through until half-time.
Olympiacos 1-0 West Ham
18:25 , Matt Verri
39 mins: Kudus has his first touch of the ball in what feels like an age.
Threatens to charge away down the right, but Retsos absolutely launches himself into the challenge and knocks the ball out of play. No half measures there.
Olympiacos 1-0 West Ham
18:23 , Matt Verri
36 mins: Olympiacos on the charge now.
Ball fizzed into the middle, Fortounis throws himself at the ball but diverts it over the bar. This time Soucek did match the run and put him under pressure.
Malik Ouzia at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium
18:21 , Matt Verri
I actually thought Tomas Soucek had started pretty well in midfield but both he and James Ward-Prowse were guilty of being far too passive there.
Fortounis waltzed through the middle of the park.
GOAL! Olympiacos 1-0 West Ham | Konstantinos Fortounis 33′
18:20 , Matt Verri
The hosts take the lead!
Brilliant strike too, the first bit of quality we’ve had all match.
He turns away from three blue shirts, and basically toe pokes it into the bottom corner from outside the area. Pretty ordinary defender, but a great finish.
Olympiacos 0-0 West Ham
18:17 , Matt Verri
30 mins: Decent run down the left from Emerson, ball into the middle is charged down and bounces behind for a corner. Over to Ward-Prowse again.
Not yet though – whistle goes just as he’s about to take the corner. Referee unhappy with some of the shoving going on in the box. About six players within a foot of the goalkeeper.
Good delivery, but Paschalakis is off his line to punch the ball away.
Malik Ouzia at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium
18:13 , Matt Verri
David Moyes is urging his players to calm down.
Kudus and Mavropanos have each hoofed the ball out of play under no pressure in the last couple of minutes.
Olympiacos 0-0 West Ham
18:12 , Matt Verri
26 mins: Hmmm.
Ball over the top of the West Ham defence. Mavropanos could let it run out for a goal-kick, Areola could stroll off his line and claim… instead the defender launches the ball into the stands.
Bit unnecessary.
Malik Ouzia at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium
18:10 , Matt Verri
It’s amazing what an atmosphere can do for a game because if this was being played somewhere a little flatter I’d be calling it an absolute snooze-fest.
Very little quality thus far.
Olympiacos 0-0 West Ham
18:08 , Matt Verri
22 mins: West Ham clear it, break and Benrahma wins a corner.
Ward-Prowse fires it into the near post, not a great delivery but he’ll get another opportunity.
Bit better, still cleared away at the near post though. Wasted trip up the pitch for the centre-backs.
18:05 , Matt Verri
19 mins: It’s been a low-quality start to this match. Olympiacos getting into decent positions out wide, keep crossing it straight out of play.
They’ll have another chance to whip the ball into the middle now, Fornals penalised after sliding in. Replays suggest that was a harsh call…
Olympiacos 0-0 West Ham
18:01 , Matt Verri
15 mins: Olympiacos starting to take control of the match, they’re dominating the ball more and more.
Podence finding space on the left, but his final ball hasn’t been great yet. Another loose pass allows Ward-Prowse to get a foot in and win it back.
Malik Ouzia at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium
17:59 , Matt Verri
Decent battle going on between Kudus and Francisco Ortega in these early exchanges. Looks quick, does the full-back.
Olympiacos 0-0 West Ham
17:58 , Matt Verri
12 mins: Bright from Kudus, goes on the outside down the right this time and looks to beat Ortega for pace.
Olympiacos full-back matches him though, ball out for a goal-kick.
Olympiacos 0-0 West Ham
17:55 , Matt Verri
9 mins: First dangerous attack from Olympiacos, Alexandropoulos is allowed space on the edge of the box.
Decent strike towards the near post, Areola sees it all the way though and it’s a comfortable enough save.
Olympiacos 0-0 West Ham
17:53 , Matt Verri
7 mins: Areola rushes off his line but he’s unable to prevent the ball going behind for another Olympiacos corner. Noise goes up another level.
Over everyone, but Camara keeps it in. Ball back into the box, scrappy again from West Ham but they just about clear their lines.
Malik Ouzia at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium
17:51 , Matt Verri
The club’s pleas to fans to leave the pyrotechnics at home appear to have been heeded thus far but less so the laser pens.
A green light is flashing around the pitch already.
Olympiacos 0-0 West Ham
17:50 , Matt Verri
3 mins: West Ham seeing a fair bit of the ball in the opening minutes, maybe not quite what we expected.
Olympiacos already looking dangerous when they do win it back though, the visitors need to be aware of that threat on the break.
Malik Ouzia at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium
17:47 , Matt Verri
It’s a good job Olympiacos didn’t score from that corner in the opening minute, because half of their fans would have missed it.
The big old banner has just come down. Very impressive.
KICK-OFF!
17:46 , Matt Verri
We’re up and running!
Here we go!
17:42 , Matt Verri
Teams are out onto the pitch in Athens.
A much-changed West Ham side in an incredibly hostile atmosphere – serious test for the visitors.
How it stands
17:36 , Matt Verri
Reminder that West Ham are in charge of Group A after two matches, sitting pretty on six points.
Freiburg have three, with Olympiacos and Backa Topola both on a single point.
Another win here and West Ham really will be cruising.
Malik Ouzia at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium
17:26 , Matt Verri
There was a group of at least 50 ultras here yesterday evening working away on their pre-match tifo.
We were told we couldn’t take any photos of it and asked to go back inside when it came to the big test so I’m looking forward to seeing the fruits of their labour shortly.
Mavropanos a busy man…
17:21 , Matt Verri
David Moyes has been turning to Greek centre-back Dinos Mavropanos in the build-up to this match for some added insight on Olympiakos.
The West Ham boss said: “We have spoken with Dinos Mavropanos about Olympiacos and we know [their winger] Daniel Podence very well from his time at Wolves. He did very well for Wolves in his time there, I thought.
“We’ve done as much work as we can. We understand what we can. We have two games now, the first here in Athens and the second in two weeks at London Stadium, so we’ll get to know each other quite well over these two games!”
(Getty Images)
Can the run continue?
17:12 , Matt Verri
West Ham are on a run of 17 matches without defeat in Europe.
It’s been a sensational couple of years for the Hammers, backing up a deep Europa League run with victory in the Europa Conference League last season.
This current streak is an English record, one they hold with Man City again after Pep Guardiola’s side matched them on 17 unbeaten when beating Young Boys last night.
Malik Ouzia at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium
17:06 , Matt Verri
It’s going to get very noisy…
Olympiacos team news
17:00 , Matt Verri
Starting XI: Paschalakis, Rodinei, Porozo, Retsos, Ortega,Alexandropoulos, Camara, Hezze, Podence, El Kaabi,Fortounis.
Subs: Gustavo Scarpa, El Arabi, Vrousai, Quini,Masouras, Carvalho, Biel, Jovetic, Tzolakis, Solbakken,Papadoudis.
Bowen wants quick response
16:48 , Matt Verri
Fair to say there’s room for improvement from West Ham.
They were beaten 4-1 by Aston Villa last weekend, in what was their worst performance of the season so far. Jarrod Bowen, who is on the bench this evening, admitted the Hammers were “awful” against Villa.
“It’s not easy,” Bowen said after the match. “We deal with it, face it, it’s done now. It was an awful day from all of us, something you don’t want to be on the end of, conceding four goals. It’s really disappointing, a poor performance from us.
“The good thing is there are a lot of games coming up. We can be down about it, let it hurt, but it’s a new week, we go to Greece and then we’re back in the Premier League. There’s a lot of games to put it right.”
(Getty Images)
Malik Ouzia at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium
16:39 , Matt Verri
Lukasz FabiaÅski is ill so he misses out tonight, meaning Alphonse Areola is back in the cup ‘keeper role he filled throughout his first two seasons at the club.
A more heavily rotated side than in each of West Ham’s group matches so far.
West Ham team news
16:34 , Matt Verri
Starting XI: Areola, Kehrer, Mavropanos, Ogbonna, Emerson, Ward-Prowse, Soucek, Benrahma, Kudus, Fornals, Ings
Subs: Anang, Cresswell, Johnson, Zouma, Aguerd, Alvarez, Cornet, Paqueta, Bowen, Antonio, Mubama
Moyes sends warning to fans
16:28 , Matt Verri
David Moyes has issued a plea to supporters amid safety concerns heading into tonight’s clash, but called on his West Ham players to “embrace and enjoy” the hostile atmosphere in Greece.
On Sunday, Olympiacos’s league meeting with local rivals Panathinaikos was abandoned mid-game after a player was struck by a firework and the Athens club have issued a statement to supporters ahead of Thursday’s contest warning that bad behaviour could see them sanctioned by Uefa.
West Ham were themselves forced to play away in Freiburg without travelling fans earlier this month as punishment for trouble during last season’s Europa Conference League final win over Fiorentina in Prague and Moyes is desperate to see the match go off without a hitch.
“They’ve got great support here, fantastic enthusiasm and it’s great to come to a football city where the football really matters,” the Scot said. “That’s what you want, you want the passion and the atmosphere.
“But you also want good behaviour, from our supporters and Olympiacos supporters. It’s a game. It’s really important that everyone works well together and we end up with a good night.
“You’re not helping your club and that includes our supporters as well. You’re not doing your club any favours if you’re getting banned, or stadiums bans or your team getting thrown out of Europe, for example.”
(Getty Images)
Malik Ouzia at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium
16:17 , Matt Verri
West Ham’s players are out having a look about, Angelo Ogbonna and Tomas Soucek the two brave enough to stroll right up to the goalmouth in front of the main home end and and stare into the whites of one or two sets of Ultra eyes.
The whistles are deafening already and there can’t be more than a couple of hundred fans in. It is going to be very noisy in here in an hour or twos’ time.
West Ham set to embrace hostility
16:13 , Matt Verri
Back in his home city, West Ham’s Konstantinos Mavropanos was on diplomatic form on Wednesday night when asked where his Athenian football allegiances lay.
“I didn’t really support a team,” the defender said. “My father also was a person who liked to watch football but not support a specific one.”
Genuine neutral or not, it is not difficult to imagine why a player in the Greece international’s position might want to keep cards close to chest. This is a fierce football city, divided three ways between Olympiacos, Panathinaikos and AEK, where partisan passions routinely spill over.
As West Ham prepare to meet the former of that trio in the Europa League, their hosts were on Wednesday due in front of a Greek Super League board, set to find out their punishment for crowd trouble at the weekend’s derby against Panathinaikos, which was abandoned mid-match after a visiting player was hit with a firework.
Read our full preview here!
(PA)
Moyes tempted by Kudus
15:57 , Matt Verri
David Moyes bemoaned his West Ham side’s lack of attacking threat in their 4-1 hammering at Aston Villa and revealed his growing temptation to throw Mohammed Kudus into his Premier League XI.
The Hammers suffered their first major setback of the season as goals from Ollie Watkins, Leon Bailey and a Douglas Luiz double saw Villa record an 11th straight home league win.
“We weren’t resilient when we had to be defensively but, more importantly, every ball we played in and around the box was the wrong decision,” Moyes said. “We couldn’t pick anyone out and it led to us hardly creating any chances to score.”
Moyes stuck by what has become a settled starting XI in the League this term, meaning summer signing Kudus was once again left on the bench. He is yet to make a Premier League start.
“I’m tempted to start Kudus every game,” Moyes said. “But I have to be fair and say that the team’s played quite well. Obviously, we’ve got a balance that we’re trying to find and get that right as well.”
(Getty Images)
Tonight’s setting!
15:49 , Matt Verri
The West Ham players were out on the pitch in Athens last night.
Standard Sport prediction
15:39 , Matt Verri
Olympiacos is a difficult place to go but West Ham are seasoned operators at this level now.
It is unlikely to be an open, free-flowing encounter, but the Hammers will be in fine shape if they can head back to London with at least a point.
1-1 draw.
West Ham team news
15:33 , Matt Verri
Vladimir Coufal will miss out for West Ham tonight.
The experienced full-back has started the season in superb form, with four assists already to his name in the Premier League, but has not made the trip to Athens, where David Moyes’s men are looking to extend their 17-match unbeaten run in Europe.
“He was just a bit tight so I left him at home,” Hammers boss Moyes explained.
Thilo Kehrer appears likely to start at right-back in Coufal’s place, but Moyes’s defensive options have been bolstered by the returns to fitness of Ben Johnson and Aaron Cresswell, both of whom have travelled to Greece.
Elsewhere, summer signing Konstantinos Mavropanos will start at centre-back on his return to his homeland after taking on media duties on Wednesday night, while Jarrod Bowen could again be deployed at centre-forward, as he was for the win away at Freiburg earlier this month.
Predicted West Ham XI (4-3-3): Fabianski; Kehrer, Zouma, Mavropanos, Emerson; Alvarez, Ward-Prowse, Soucek; Kudus, Bowen, Paqueta
(PA)
Olympiacos team news
15:27 , Matt Verri
Olympiacos will be without Andreas Ndoj, who was sent off against Backa Tapola last time out and is therefore suspended.
Daniel Podence, on loan from Wolves, should start though, with the winger in fine form having scored four goals already for his new club.
How to watch Olympiacos vs West Ham
15:21 , Matt Verri
TV channel: The game will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 1 in the UK. Coverage starts at 5pm.
Live stream: Subscribers will be able to watch on a live stream via the TNT Sports website and Discovery+ app.
Live blog: Follow all the action right here with us. Malik Ouzia will be providing expert analysis from Greece.
Good afternoon!
15:16 , Matt Verri
Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Olympiacos vs West Ham!
It’s two wins from two so far in the Europa League for the Hammers, and another three points here would already leave them starting to eye the knockout stages.
We’ll have all the latest updates, build-up and team news ahead of kick-off, which comes at 5:45pm BST from the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium.
[object Object] (Getty Images)
