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Tuesday November 24, 2009 Finished AZ Stadion

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AZ Alkmaar

Olympiacos

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  1. Olympiacos edge closer

    Olympiacos edge closer

    AZ Alkmaar were eliminated from the Champions League after a 0-0 draw at home to Olympiacos in Group H. More

  • Live Commentary

    Time:90'
    • AZ Alkmaar
    • Olympiacos
    • - AZ Alkmaar can still qualify for the Europa League, but will have another must-win game against Standard Liege in Belgium if they're to do so. All the info can be found here: Champions League Group H
    • - So, just to recap. With that draw, Olympiacos have all but qualified for the next round of the Champions League. They only need one point from their final game at home to Arsenal in two weeks to guarantee their place in the knockout stages.
    • 90'+3 And with that, the referee blows for full-time. AZ Alkmaar's Champions League adventure is over for this season. They had their chances in this game, but just couldn't take them.
    • 90'+3 Substitution for Olympiacos. Anastasios Pantos comes on for Zairi.
    • 90'+2 The Dutch side are pressing forward, but Ari can't make any headway down the left.
    • 90'+1 Booking for AZ's Moreno.
    • 90' There's going to be three minutes added on. Time is running out for AZ.
    • 89' The final throw of the dice for AZ Alkmaar. The brilliantly named Maarten Martens replaces captain Schaars.
    • 88' Wernbloom tussles with Raul Bravo in the Olympiacos area, and goes down under the challenge. No penalty says the referee.
    • 86' And just a reminder, with Arsenal leading Standard 2-0, an Olympiacos goal now would almost certainly see them secure their place in the next round.
    • 85' Phew! Dutch hearts were in their mouths there. Mitroglou laid the ball off for Dudu, who powered a shot just over the bar from 25 yards out. That looked close.
    • 84' They can't capitalise on the opportunity though, as two corners go to waste.
    • 83' A rare Olympiacos attack in the second half. The Greeks break down the left, and Leonardo sees his left-footed volley blocked by Romero in the AZ goal.
    • 82' The referee orders a retake of the free kick after Nikopolidis isn't ready, but it comes to nothing for AZ.
    • 81' A blatant push by Raul Bravo on Wernbloom, earning the Spaniard a booking.
    • 79' Schaars swings in a free kick left-footed, but Mellberg clears well. Hector Moreno looks accusingly at the referee - more out of hope than anything else, I think.
    • 78' Second AZ substitution. Ari comes on for Brett Holman.
    • 76' Schaars shoves Dudu, conceding the free kick. That was careless.
    • 75' It's getting a bit scrappy out there now, and tempers are starting to fray.
    • 65' The first one was for AZ central defender Pocognoli. Apologies for missing it.
    • 72' Second yellow of the game, this one to Olympiacos lone striker Mitroglou.
    • 70' AZ have 20 minutes to find that elusive goal. Otherwise the best they can hope for is the Europa League.
    • 68' It really is windy out there this evening. Bags have been flying across the pitch all night long. It doesn't seem to be affecting the play though.
    • 67' Substitution for AZ Alkmaar. Graziano Pelle comes on for Dembele. A forward for a forward.
    • 65' From the corner, Olympiacos break forward, Zairi crossing from the right, but Swerts intercepts for AZ and concedes the corner.
    • 64' Pontus Wernbloom goes close for AZ. His shot takes a wicked deflection off Mellberg, and it takes an outstretched hand from Nikopolidis to divert the ball round the post. Corner to the Dutch side.
    • 62' So far, the Greeks are weathering the storm. Not through their own doing though!
    • 61' Neat interchanges between Holman, Lens and Dembele, but the Australian misses the target with his weak shot.
    • 59' Looking at the replay, Lens really should have done better there, with space opening up in front of him.
    • 58' He's doing everything except score! Lens weaves through the Olympiacos defence again, leaving Mellberg standing, but can't get his shot on target.
    • 57' Free kick to Olympiacos, which is swung in by Zairi, but it can't penetrate the AZ defence.
    • 55' The Greeks are holding on by the skin of their teeth at the moment. Lens makes a great run down the left, cutting inside Galitsios, but at the crucial moment loses control of the ball before he can get the shot away.
    • 53' Dembele swings at the ball with his left, sending it well wide of the near post.
    • 53' Meanwhile Olympiacos are defending very deep. Can the Dutch side make this pressure count?
    • 52' AZ have started the second half just as they ended the first. With their Champions League life hanging in the balance, they have to.
    • 51' David Mendes da Silva strides forward in midfield, only to fire his right-foot shot wide of the goal.
    • 49' Aussie Brett Holman brings the ball down well on his chest but clumsily lobs his shot high over Nikopolidis' goal. That one was better suited to rugby union.
    • 47' Lens is caught offside chasing Sebastien Pocognoli's long pass.
    • 46' We're back underway here at the DSB Stadion in Alkmaar.
    • - The teams are out, ready for the second half to kick off.
    • - So that, coupled with Alkmaar's impressive home record in Europe, should mean only one result tonight.. but football's a funny old game.
    • - Olympiacos have only won two of the 36 Champions League away games they've played, losing a massive 27!
    • - So while you're all making your half-time cups of tea, I will regale you with another statistic.
    • 45'+1 Referee Alberto Undiano Mallenco blows for half-time. A draw is no good to either team really.
    • 45' There's going to be one minute of stoppage time.
    • 43' The Dutch side are finishing the half strongly, can they take the lead before the break?
    • 41' Mellberg's having a shaky few minutes. Dembele fires in another shot which gets stuck between the former Villa defender's feet. Luckily for him, the ball rolls to safety.
    • 40' AZ are looking threatening now. Lens puts in Dembele, who strides past Olof Mellberg but shoots tamely into the arms of Nikopolidis.
    • 38' Lens muscles Maresca off the ball, but his left foot shot goes well wide. He probably should have done better from there.
    • 35' Zairi finds himself in space just inside the AZ penalty area, but fires his shot straight at Sergio Romero.
    • 32' Nothing doing from the corner, allowing AZ go straight on the attack. It's end to end at the moment.
    • 31' Mitroglou's long range effort is deflected over. Corner to the Greeks.
    • 30' By the way, the Dutch side have an extremely impressive home record in European competition. In 35 games, they've only lost once - to Everton in last season's UEFA Cup.
    • 28' But then AZ go straight up the other end with a chance of their own. Lens volleys wide after Michal Zewlakow fails to clear properly.
    • 27' That was close. Jaoud Zairi's cross is met by the head of Konstantinos Mitroglou but the ball floats wide of the far post.
    • 26' Nikopolidis nearly gets himself in trouble trying to run the ball out of play, but Australian international Brett Holman can't capitalise for AZ.
    • 24' This is better from the Dutch side. That Lens effort has given them a boost. They're now passing the ball around and looking more confident.
    • 22' The veteran Greek 'keeper looked to be injured, but is now back on his feet. He's captaining Olympiacos tonight.
    • 21' Half-chance for AZ. Swerts puts in Jeremein Lens, who beats the advancing Nikopolidis to the ball but sees his effort squirm wide.
    • 20' I missed this in my pre-match build up, but for those interested, tonight's referee is Alberto Undiano Mallenco from Spain.
    • 18' And just to highlight my point, more nervous play in the centre from the AZ captain Stijn Schaars who needlessly gives the ball away after a risky backpass with goalkeeper Sergio Romero.
    • 17' You can sense some frustration in the crowd. They know what's at stake here, and currently their team's on the back foot.
    • 15' An Olympiacos corner gives the AZ defence all kinds of problems. Shaky, to say the least.
    • 14' The Greek central defender's made of sterner stuff though, and walks himself off the pitch. He'll be back on before you can say Galitsios.
    • 13' Georgios Galitsios takes a whack in the back of the legs from Dembele. The stretcher comes out.
    • 11' Olympiacos have settled now after a nervy start. Enzo Maresco - of West Brom and Juventus fame - shoots over from 25 yards out.
    • 9' Gill Swerts crosses from the right, and Antonius Nikopolidis is lucky not to concede a corner in the Olympiacos goal.
    • 8' Some nice play by Moussa Dembele in midfield, running from left to right, but the Dutch side can't fashion anything from his good work.
    • 5' Alkmaar have perhaps started the brighter, hardly surprising considering they must win this game.
    • 1' We're underway at the DSB Stadion in Alkmaar.
    • - Olympiacos: Nikopolidis, Galitsios, Zewlakow, Mellberg, Raul Bravo, Zairi, Dudu, Maresca, Leonardo, Gonzalez, Mitroglou. Subs; Pardo, Domi, Fetfatzidis, Papadopoulos, Niklitsiotis, Pantos, Katsikogiannis.
    • - The teams are in, starting with AZ Alkmaar: Romero, Swerts, Moisander, Moreno, Pocognoli, Lens, Mendes da Silva, Wernbloom, Schaars, Holman, Dembele. Subs; Didulica, Ari, Martens, Klavan, Luijckx, van der Velden, Pelle.
    • - In the reverse fixture back in September, the Greek side won by a goal to nil, Vasilis Torosidis scoring the second half winner.
    • - Some permutations and combinations for you first. If AZ don't win tonight, they'll be eliminated from the competition. Olympiacos will secure their qualification if they're victorious here, and Standard fail to win at Arsenal. Everything clear?!
    • - Hello and welcome to our live commentary of tonight's Champions League Group H game between AZ Alkmaar of the Netherlands and Olympiacos of Greece.

  • Summary

    • - Olympiacos: Nikopolidis, Galitsios, Zewlakow, Mellberg, Raul Bravo, Zairi, Dudu, Maresca, Leonardo, Gonzalez, Mitroglou. Subs; Pardo, Domi, Fetfatzidis, Papadopoulos, Niklitsiotis, Pantos, Katsikogiannis.
    • - The teams are in, starting with AZ Alkmaar: Romero, Swerts, Moisander, Moreno, Pocognoli, Lens, Mendes da Silva, Wernbloom, Schaars, Holman, Dembele. Subs; Didulica, Ari, Martens, Klavan, Luijckx, van der Velden, Pelle.
    • - Hello and welcome to our live commentary of tonight's Champions League Group H game between AZ Alkmaar of the Netherlands and Olympiacos of Greece.

Team lineup & ratings

  • AZ Alkmaar

    Manager: Ronald Koeman

  • Olympiacos

    Manager: Zico

  • Lineup

    Live Team Line-Up

    • Starting line-up

      • S. Romero
      • G. Swerts
      • N. Moisander
      • H. Moreno Yellow Card
      • S. Pocognoli Yellow Card
      • D. Mendes da Silva
      • S. Schaars Substitution Out (89′)
      • M. Dembélé Substitution Out (68′)
      • P. Wernbloom
      • B. Holman Substitution Out (78′)
      • J. Lens

      Subs

      • J. Didulica
      • R. Klavan
      • M. Martens Substitution In89′
      • K. Luijckx
      • N. van der Velden
      • G. Pellè Substitution In68′
      • Ari Substitution In78′

    • Starting line-up

      • A. Nikopolidis
      • G. Galitsios
      • M. Zewlakow
      • O. Mellberg
      • Raúl Bravo Yellow Card
      • Dudu
      • E. Maresca
      • J. Zaïri Substitution Out (90′)
      • Oscar
      • Leonardo
      • K. Mitroglou Yellow Card

      Subs

      • D. Domi
      • A. Pantos Substitution In90′
      • A. Papadopoulos
      • U. Pardo
      • G. Katsikogiannis
      • G. Niklitsiotis
      • I. Fetfazidis

  • Rate Players

    Rate Players

    Please to rate the players.

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    • Player Y! Users Expert My Rating
      Goalkeeper
      4.3 -
      Defenders
      4 -
      4 -
      Yellow Card 6 -
      Yellow Card 6 -
      Midfielders
      6.5 -
      Substitution Out89′ 6 -
      Substitution Out68′ 3.7 -
      4 -
      Substitution Out78′ 4 -
      Strikers
      5.6 -
      Subs
      Substitution In89′ 7 -
      Substitution In68′ 6.7 -
      Substitution In78′ 5 -
    • Player Y! Users Expert My Rating
      Goalkeeper
      4 -
      Defenders
      3.8 -
      4.8 -
      6.3 -
      Yellow Card 4.6 -
      Midfielders
      6.3 -
      5.8 -
      Substitution Out90′ 7.9 -
      4.2 -
      3.7 -
      Strikers
      Yellow Card 4.8 -
      Subs
      Substitution In90′ 3 -

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