Olympiacos 3-4 Real Madrid

Injuries to key defenders like Dean Huijsen and Eder Militao meant that Real Madrid conceded 3 goals to Olympiacos (2 from headers) but Kylian Mbappe was on hand to give Los Blancos the victory with a sensational 4 goal performance. Vinicius Junior also contributed with two assists on the night.

Alvaro Carreras had to start at Centre Back due to Real’s defensive injuries while Vinicius, Arda Guler and Fede Valverde were the 3 in Madrid’s 4231, with Kylian Mbappe up top. Jude Bellingham also couldn’t start the match after it was confirmed that he had a muscle overload. The Greek side also lined up in a 4231. Ayoub El Kaabi was up top, with Gelson Martins and Daniel Podence on the right and left and Chiquinho in attacking midfield.

From minute 1, the UEFA Champions League match between Olympiacos and Real Madrid was an exhilarating, back-and-forth affair that saw a stunning seven goals scored, with Real Madrid ultimately securing a crucial 4-3 victory.

The action started quickly. In the 3rd minute, Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior tested Olympiacos goalkeeper Kostas Tzolakis with a shot from the edge of the box, which the keeper parried well. However, Olympiacos struck first with their first attack in the 8th minute. Chiquinho scored the opening goal, bending a fierce long-range shot into the bottom-left corner past Andriy Lunin.

Moments later, Olympiacos pressed to double their lead, but Andriy Lunin pulled off a phenomenal save in the 15th minute to deny Chiquinho from outside the box.

The match then turned into the Kylian Mbappé show. In the 22nd minute, Kylian Mbappé scored the equalizer after Vinícius Júnior played a sublime outside of the foot pass into space, allowing Mbappé to finish through the legs of Tzolakis. Just two minutes later, Mbappé struck again, meeting an Arda Güler cross from the right with a powerful header.

Olympiacos were forced into an early substitution in the 27th minute, with Mehdi Taremi replacing Chiquinho due to a muscle injury. Mbappé then completed his hat-trick in the 29th minute, scoring his third goal in just 6 minutes and 43 seconds. He stayed onside from an Eduardo Camavinga through ball and fired the ball into the net.

The frenzy of goals momentarily continued when Vinícius Júnior scored in the 31st minute, but the goal was ruled out by VAR for offside against Mbappé in the build-up. Real Madrid were unlucky again in the 36th minute when Aurélien Tchouaméni’s drive from the edge of the area crashed against the crossbar.

Olympiacos received the first caution of the game in the 40th minute, when Francisco Ortega was shown a Yellow Card for a foul on Mbappé. Vinícius Júnior shot just over the bar from a tight angle in the 43rd minute. Lunin then made one more important save just before halftime, denying a header by Ayoub El Kaabi.

Both teams made substitutions at the break: Dani Ceballos replaced Eduardo Camavinga for Real Madrid , and Santiago Hezze replaced Dani García for Olympiacos.

The second half began with the same pace as the first with Olympiacos quickly reducing the deficit in the 52nd minute. Mehdi Taremi scored the goal with a close-range header, meeting a Santiago Hezze cross. The goal set up a tense period, but Mbappé stepped up again in the 59th minute, scoring his fourth goal of the night. Vinícius Júnior raced past Retsos and provided his second assist for Mbappé to poke home.

Real Madrid made another substitution in the 60th minute, with Jude Bellingham replacing Arda Güler. Olympiacos then responded with a double change in the 71st minute: Gabriel Strefezza replaced Daniel Podence, who left the game with an injury, and Costinha replaced Rodinei. Real Madrid followed suit in the 73rd minute, as Brahim Díaz replaced Raúl Asencio.

The home side ensured a dramatic finale in the 81st minute when Ayoub El Kaabi scored their third goal (3-4), heading in a cross from Gabriel Strefezza. Olympiacos pressed hard for an equalizer in the dying minutes. El Kaabi had a near miss in the 83rd minute, with a shot that went just wide of the right post. Gabriel Strefezza followed up with a mid-range shot that also went just wide of the right post in the 86th minute.

Real Madrid made their final change in the 90th minute, with Fran García replacing Vinícius Júnior to help close out the game. Five minutes of stoppage time were added. The match concluded with a Full Time score of Olympiacos 3-4 Real Madrid, securing a vital victory for the visitors, their first in 4 matches.