Bordeaux survive Olympiakos scare
Reuters - Wednesday 17 March 2010, 23:24
BORDEAUX - Girondins Bordeaux
survived a second-half scare to grab a 2-1 win over Olympiakos
Piraeus on Wednesday and give France a second team in the
Champions League quarter-finals.
Bordeaux, leading 1-0 from the first leg, went further clear
through an early Yoann Gourcuff free-kick and with the visitors
down to 10 men from the 60th minute they appeared to have the
tie firmly in hand.
Not so. The Greek side levelled through Kostas Mitroglou in
the 65th minute and Bordeaux were reeling when captain Alou
Diarra was sent off three minutes later.
Bordeaux held their nerve, though, and a goal from Marouane
Chamakh two minutes from time sealed a 3-1 aggregate win that
took them through along with Olympique Lyon - the first time
France have had two teams in the quarter-finals since 2004.
NEWS: Gourcuff revives Zidane comparisons
"We made it hard for ourselves in the second half," Gourcuff
told French TV channel Canal Plus. "But we had a fantastic first
half, we should actually have been 2-0 or 3-0 up at the break."
"Now, we just hope to avoid Barcelona," coach Laurent Blanc
told reporters.
His Olympiakos counterpart, Bozidar Bandovic, said:
"Congratulations to Bordeaux. I think we were the better side in
the second half. If the players had had more self belief, it
could have been a different story."
FLYING START
Bordeaux got off to a dream start, with Gourcuff scoring
from the edge of the box with a whipped free kick into the far
top corner.
Blanc's side, who had conceded only two goals from eight
games in the competition, could have secured their qualification
before the break.
Gourcuff collected a lobbed pass from Benoit Tremoulinas
before rushing through the defence only to be denied by
goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis, who dived at his feet, in the
40th minute.
Four minutes later, the former AC Milan player fired another
free kick that smashed the bar.
Olympiakos, reduced to 10 men when Matt Derbyshire was sent
off for a second booking with an hour gone, looked thoroughly
beaten but turned the tide.
Mitroglou fired home a stunning volley from a throw-in and
Bordeaux were also reduced to 10 men when Diarra got his second
yellow card.
Bordeaux's game deteriorated but the French champions held
on until Chamakh sealed their progress when he headed home at
the far post from a Tremoulinas cross.
Olympiakos even ended up with nine men when Olof Mellberg
was sent off long after the 90 minutes were up.
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