Metalist Kharkiv Vs. Olympiacos, 2012 Europa League: Olympiakos Win First Leg 1-0

Metalist Kharkiv had looked something not too far short of unstoppable in the early stages of their Europa League campaign, but the Ukrainian side appear to have met their match in Olympiacos. It was never going to be an easy game - Olympiacos haven’t failed to win since January and haven’t even conceded a goal in that time, but Metalist gave it a good shot and were probably the stronger of the two teams in the first leg.

But for all of their good work in the attack and midfield, the hosts looked decidedly vulnerable at the back, and David Fuster made them pay when he acrobatically put a loose ball past Alexandr Goryainov just after the interval to make it 1-0. Metalist tried to level but no amount of pressure could see them seriously threaten an equaliser. Things went from bad to worse for the home side when Edmar received a straight red for a strange sliding challenge on Giannis Maniatis in the 82nd minute, and the Ukrainians now have a mountain to climb when they travel to Athens.