ernesto valverde said his olympiacos cf players were "very motivated to get their season started" against an olympique de marseille side hoping to overcome their own false start.
olympiacos fc coach ernesto valverde says his team are short on match practice but long on motivation as they play their first competitive game of the season against group f rivals olympique de marseille. as for marseille, boss didier deschamps hopes they can put their domestic woes behind them and start their campaign afresh in the uefa champions league.
olympiacos coach ernesto valverde: "we lack match sharpness because our pre-season has lasted more than two months, we've had some late arrivals and some recent injury problems, but i'm not losing sleep. we're looking forward to tomorrow, all the players are very motivated to get their season started. marseille might be feeling pressure as they have not been doing very well in their league, although that could be a disadvantage for us as it could motivate them to do well in a different competition. we are in a tough group where every team has a fair chance of progress. the home matches are important and we will try to take advantage of this special factor. it's my debut in the uefa champions league and i am as motivated as my players."
marseille coach didier deschamps: "there is disappointment about our league form but the biggest competition begins now and we need to change our mindset and start afresh. my players are very determined and have self-belief and we will continue our efforts, hoping to turn things around. the fact olympiacos haven't played yet is not ideal, as we only have information from their friendly matches, but they are an attacking side with quality players in midfield and attack. i've visited greece as a coach on two previous occasions and have experienced the white-hot atmosphere of greek stadiums – i hope to prepare my players for it. our main aim is to make as few mistakes as possible – that's very important in the uefa champions league, not to give your opponent chances."
lucho gonzález scored the only goal of the game as didier deschamps' side got their group f campaign off to a winning start in greece.
olympique de marseille put their domestic troubles aside to claim a determined 1-0 victory against olympiacos fc in their group f opener in piraeus.
following a tight first half in which there was little to choose between the sides, midfielder lucho gonzález struck the decisive blow in the 51st minute. olympiacos coach ernesto valverde had admitted before the match that his team might fall short in their first competitive fixture of the season, and they duly struggled to find a way back into the contest.
both teams came quickly out of the blocks and committed numbers forward in the early stages, resulting in a flurry of corners amid a highly charged atmosphere. the hosts' lone striker, kevin mirallas, proved a constant threat in the opening period, and was presented with the first clear opportunity to score in the 21st minute. he side-footed wide from inside the penalty area, however, having made contact with djamel abdoun's low centre.
lacking penetration for much of the opening half, marseille, without a win in their last eight ligue 1 matches, were reduced to trying their luck from distance through jérémy morel and benoît cheyrou. that duo combined in the 35th minute to create the visitors' best opening, though, when cheyrou headed the former's whipped left-wing cross narrowly over franco costanzo's crossbar.
the visitors were starting to see more of the ball and loïc rémy almost opened the scoring two minutes later, but his snap-shot cannoned off costanzo's right-hand post. mirallas responded for olympiacos with a fine solo run in which he weaved past two defenders before unleashing a shot which was comfortably smothered by om goalkeeper steve mandanda.
marseille began the second half as they had ended the first and were in front just six minutes in when lucho gonzález tapped in at the near post from morel's superb cross from the right. the goal stunned the home crowd and olympiacos could not find a response. next up for the greek super league outfit is a trip to london to face arsenal fc in a fortnight, when marseille host borussia dortmund.
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