Last season's Champions League finalists Atletico Madrid started their Group A campaign with a 3-2 defeat to Olympiacos this evening.
The home side led 2-1 at the break courtesy of goals from Arthur Masuaku and Ibrahim Afellay, while Mario Mandzukic netted for Atletico.
The Spanish side dominated much of the second period, but conceded a third to Konstantinos Mitroglou after 73 minutes. Antoine Griezmann cut the score to 3-2 late on, but the away side could not find a leveller.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two European rivals.
Match statistics
OLYMPIACOS
Shots: 8
On target: 4
Possession: 44%
Corners: 1
Fouls: 12
ATLETICO
Shots: 20
On target: 6
Possession: 56%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 14
Was the result fair?
In short, no. However this match is dissected, the same outcome will be reached. Atletico were far from their best this evening, but did enough to deserve at least a point and quite possibly all three. Olympiacos started on the front foot and took the lead during a spell of pressure, but their second came during a period where Atletico were on top. The second half was utterly dominated by the visitors, but the points were all but secured for Olympiacos when their third went in. Griezmann netted late on to hand Atletico a chance of taking something from the match, but it was too little, too late. Neither side were too impressive this evening, but ultimately Olympiacos proved the more ruthless in the final third. The statistics in terms of shots, however, are a clear indication of how dominant Atletico were for long spells of the contest.
Olympiacos' performance
As Manchester United found out in the last-16 stage last season, Olympiacos are very tough opposition on their own patch. Their away form has cost them in Europe in recent seasons, but they are always a threat in Greece. As touched upon above, they opened the scoring during arguably their best spell of the match, but had to ride their luck from that point forward. Atletico should have levelled shortly after conceding, but instead they fell two behind after some poor defending. The crowd carried Olympiacos through during long spells of the second period, but their two centre-backs - Alberto Botia and Eric Abidal - were both impressive at the heart of the back four. The Greek side will play better than this and lose this season, but the three points were the most important thing this evening. Their home form will be crucial if they are to advance from a section that also includes Malmo and Juventus, with the latter winning 2-0 in Turin this evening.
Atletico's performance
Atletico should not have lost this match, but some of their defending this evening was really poor. Their defensive record last season was exceptional, but there was a serious lack of communication at times in Greece. Aside from Cristian Ansaldi, it was their usual back four, with Juanfran, Diego Godin and Miranda all in the XI. Mario Suarez failed to protect his defence for long spells, however, which ultimately proved their undoing. Mandzukic proved a threat in the final third, especially in the first period, but the service to the big Croatian stopped in the second period, with the Spanish side's crossing from a wide position failing to find the target. Club captain Gabi was again substituted in the early stages of the second period, which seemed to upset the balance in the middle of the park. On another night, Atletico would have won or at least taken a point from this match, but boss Diego Simeone will certainly have some concerns. There is no question that there was a slight hangover from their exertions in the Bernabeu at the weekend.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Arthur Masuaku: Masuaku, who joined Olympiacos in the summer, is just 20 years old, but he will have to go some way to surpass tonight's events in Greece. The defender opened the scoring with a stunning long-range strike in the first period, with Atletico stopper Jan Oblak beaten at his far post. The Frenchman was a serious attacking threat in the first half, but had to drop deeper as Atletico dominated the second half of football. It was a mature performance from the defender.
Biggest gaffe
Last season, Atletico's defence played a huge role in their success. They have started this season in similar fashion in terms of the league, but Simeone will be fuming with what he saw this evening. Both Godin and Miranda were attracted to the ball in the build-up to Olympiacos' second of the match, but it was midfielder Suarez's poor challenge that presented the ball straight to Afellay. It was a mistake that was so unexpected from arguably the best defence in Europe.
Referee performance
Referee Pedro Proenca had a busy night in Greece - issuing six yellow cards during a high-tempo 90 minutes of football. There were times when tempers threatened to boil over, but the Portuguese was always on hand to act when needed. In truth, he was not seen for long spells despite the nature of the contest, which is always a good sign for an official.
What next?
Olympiacos: The Greek outfit will attempt to continue their unbeaten start to their new domestic season when they host Veria on Saturday.
Atletico: The Spanish champions, who are also unbeaten in their domestic league, welcome Celta Vigo to the Vicente Calderon in La Liga on Saturday evening.
Matt Law
