Giroud hat-trick sends Arsenal into the last 16
9.37pm GMT
A perfect night for Arsenal! After a jittery start they grew into the game and emerged as masterful winners thanks to a hat-trick by Giroud, excellent performances by Campbell, Ozil, Koscielny and Mertesacker. They’re recovered from an awful start to the campaign and reached the knockout stage for the 16th year in succession. Wenger said beforehand that it would be the greatest escape of his reign and he and his players can now bask in deserved acclaim. Keep this up, get all their injured players back, and they might yet have an even longer-lasting laugh.
9.33pm GMT
90+2 min: Arsenal sub: Giroud off, Chambers on.
9.32pm GMT
90 +1 min: Arsenal substitution: Oxlade-Chamberlain trots on, and Campbell walks off to a loud and fully deserved ovation - from both sets of fans, as the Greeks remain grateful for the performances he put in for them when he was on loan.
9.31pm GMT
89 min: “Is this one of the least Arsenal-esque performances of recent times?” wonders Tom Atkins. “Big name players delivering, no late dramas, no injuries and a magnificent hat-trick by a big striker. Satchel may not be on the field but the impact he’s had on the side is evident.” It’s going to be weird hearing Arsenal fans not being able to complain about anything.
9.28pm GMT
86 min: It’s been a dream night for Arsenal ... but not quite wild enough for Monreal to be able to smash a 25-yard volley into the top corner. Instead it goes out for a throw-in.
9.27pm GMT
84 min: You know the home fans have given up when they can’t even summon enough hostility to boo the PA’s information notice to Arsenal fans. Manager Mauro Silva is still going through the motion though: he’s just replaced Pardo with Finnboggason, for all the good it’ll do.
9.25pm GMT
83 min: So, Arsenal fans, who do you fancy meeting in the last 16? Wolfsburg or Zenit, right?
9.22pm GMT
80 min: Ozil stands over a freekick at the corner of the Olympiakos box. He tries to catch out the keeper at the near post but Roberto punches away. “The only question now is which Arsenal player will get injured,” wonders Scott Wedel. Maybe, but at the moment this is shaping up to be a night of unadulterated triumph for Arsenal and Wenger. The big players mentioned beforehand have turned up - Giroud and Ozil - and several others have risen to the occasion too, especially Campbell and, after a dodgy start, Mertesacker.
9.19pm GMT
77 min: Ramsey, another fine performer tonight, gains possession in midfield and spreads it wide to Campbell. For once the Costa Rican’s pass is imprecise, as he over-hits an intended ball to Giroud.
9.16pm GMT
74 min: Campbell’s on the gallop again. After starting a move in his own half, he lopes forward and threads a pass through to Giroud, whose first-time shot is saved by the keeper. Turns out the Frenchman was offside anyway. At this rate, Wenger should take Campbell off to make sure he doesn’t get the booking that would rule him out of the first leg of their next tie.
9.15pm GMT
73 min: Arsenal change: Walcott’s race is run; on comes Gibbs in his place.
9.12pm GMT
72 min: Olympiakos sub: Kasami off, Dominguez on.
9.11pm GMT
69 min: Olympiakos seem burst. Arsenal are in platform boots and strutting now. You can tell by the way they use their walk that they’re a last 16 team and know it. Olympiakos know it too. Only question now is whether Campbell will get the goal his performances deserves.
9.08pm GMT
67 min: Just to recap: Olympiakos have 23 minutes to score three goals (and avoid conceding any more), as a 3-2 Arsenal victory would send Wenger’s men through.
9.07pm GMT
Giroud sends the keeper the wrong way to complete his hat-trick and, surely, Arsenal’s great escape!
9.06pm GMT
After a swift break, Monreal’s shot from 16 yards crashes agaisnt the hands of Eladeballaoui! Giroud will take the spotkick!
9.04pm GMT
62 min: What a chance for Olympiakos! A powerful shot/cross falls to Ideye, whose first touch is heavy ... and that gives Mertesacker just enough time to lunge in with a saving tackle! Get that wrong and it was a penalty or an open goal for Ideye! Chances keep coming at both ends here. It’s up for grabs alright!
9.02pm GMT
61 min: There are more goals here for Arsenal, no doubt. Walcott had a chance just now but appeared to be slightly put off by Giround’s run across him and then got confused about whether to shoot or pass to the Frenchman. In the end he dabbed the ball to the nearest defender.
9.01pm GMT
59 min: I’ve just seen a replay of the goal and feel the need to emphasis how well Campbell did to create it. Composure, deftness and awareness - the Costa Rican showed the lot as he dragged the ball away from a defender and rolled it perfectly into the path of Giroud, who would have been guilty of a crime against football it he’d messed up the finish: but he didn’t, he slapped it under the keeper well.
8.59pm GMT
58 min: This is a marvellously open game now, amid an achingly taut atmosphere! Cech has just had to fling himself across his goal to tip a curling 20-yard shot by Fortounis around the post. Decent stop!
8.57pm GMT
56 min: Oooh! That nearly sealed it for Arsenal! Campbell again did brilliantly, hooking in a cross that found its way to Walcott at the far post (after Giroud went down in suspicious circumstances). The forward’s shot on the bounce takes a nick off a defender and flies just wide!
8.56pm GMT
55 min: Strong play by Koscielny induces Pardos to make a fool of himself, throwing himself to the turf and clutching his face in the hope that the ref will give him a freekick, all because he couldn’t get around the defender and take the ball.
8.53pm GMT
@Paul_Doyle 2 goals are in, boys. I won't hold it against the team if we park the bus like Chelsea now. #arsvsoly
8.52pm GMT
51 min: No point in Olympiakos going defensive now: they need a goal. And they go in immediate search of one and win a corner. Siovas meets it with a powerful header from 10 yards ... but it straight at Cech, who holds it calmly.
8.50pm GMT
Guess that means his ankle is OK! Moments after hobbling back on to the pitch, Giroud receives a pass from Campbell - who did superbly - and slots it into the net from 12 yards! As things stand, Arsenal are about to pull off the great escape!
8.49pm GMT
48 min: Uh-oh. Arsenal’s injury blues may be about to get deeper: Giroud is down and looking in serious pain after turning his ankle. You never quite know with Giroud - he does like a roll on the ground - but this one does look dicey. After a bit of treatment he hobbles off ...
8.47pm GMT
47 min: Nope, Olympiakos haven’t suddenly gone defensive! They come charging out of the blocks at the start of the second half, Pardo dazzles past Monreal down the left and hoiks in a vicious cross. Mertesacker does well to head away from right in front of his own goal.
8.45pm GMT
46 min: “Patrick McCabe [27 mins] was right on,” hollers Mike Nichols. “Cazorla brings the ball out of defence, picks out the right pass going forward, and helps push the pace, especially on the counter. Without him, the team’s definitely playing with the handbrake on.” I wonder whether Olympiakos wish they had played with the handbrake on in the first half? Their boldness has been admirable and could have paid off but, well, it hasn’t so far. Will they be more defensive in the second half and try to cling on for a 1-0 defeat?
8.30pm GMT
Another half like that will do Arsenal just fine! They started shakily but scored with a nicely constructed goal and have since grown in solidity. Olympiakos are certainly dangerous but Arsenal have shown that they, too, carry a threat on the break. This game is tautly poised. It’s up for grabs now!
8.27pm GMT
41 min: Cosy save by Cech from a long-range wobbler by Masuaku.
8.26pm GMT
40 min: Tremendous defending by Koscileny! The home team cut Arsenal open with a good move, but Koscielny’s positioning remained savvy and he was on hand to divert Ideye’s pinged low ball from the right over the bar. He had to time it perfectly as there was a real risk of deflecting it into his net.
8.23pm GMT
38 min: Walcott, who had not been involved much, picks up the ball deep in Olympiakos territory and drives towards the box. Once in range he unleashes a a lower rasper ... that travels a few feet wide.
8.22pm GMT
37 min: Full marks to Bellerin for persistence. He was caught out a few times early on but he has kept his head and is starting to get to grips with his opponents: he has just made an excellent interception to thwart Ideye.
8.20pm GMT
35 min: Giroud wins a corner down the left. Ozil would prefer we made no mention of the delivery.
8.19pm GMT
33 min: Lovely play in midfield by Millvojevic sets up another Olympiakos attack. Ramsey does well in defence again, getting back to help mop up the danger in the box. He and his team-mates will have to keep up that vigilance because Olympiakos sure look dangerous going forward ...
8.17pm GMT
30 min: Olympiakos storm forward in search of a rapid equaliser. Monreal blocks a cross at the expense of a corner. The ball is sent towards Pardo, who can’t find space for a proper shot and instead blems the ball way off target.
8.15pm GMT
Ozil releases Ramsey with a fine pass down the left. The Welshman delivers an equally fine cross and Giroud meets it with a powerful header .... that finds its way into the net! Roberto got a hand to it and should have kept it out, but instead Arsenal reel away in celebration: they’re half-way to their target!
8.13pm GMT
27 min: Arsenal’s strong spell continues. Roberto rushes off his line to punch the ball away from Giroud after a clever clipped pass from Ozil. “It seems that without Santi, Arsenal are struggling to link defence and attack,” notes Patrick McCabe. “He’s so important for linking play and making space.” That’s been mostly true - and explains why Wenger calls him Cazorla “our guide” - although Arsenal have found some rhythm in the last few minutes.
8.10pm GMT
25 min: Arsenal got things together there all right! Campbell skittered down the right to collect a pass from Giroud. He pulled the ball back well to Flamini, who hit it on the stretch ... and the keeper touched it on to the crossbar! A great save to deny Arsenal an against-the-odds goal!
8.09pm GMT
22 min: Wenger is fidgeting on the bench: he’s picked up a bit of litter off the ground and is crumpling it nervously. I’m no body language expert but I believe that means he’s trying to figure out how to broach a difficult subject with Steve Bould. Either that, or he’s hoping his team will get thing together before they fall behind and make a difficult task even harder.
8.06pm GMT
20 min: Pardo runs at Monreal and then lets fly with a shot from the corner of the box. It deflects off the Spaniard to Seba, whose shot hurtles wide. Both Arsenal’s fullbacks are suffering here ...
8.04pm GMT
19 min: Ramsey booked for tripping Fortounis, who had spun past him in the centre circle. Another illustration of how much sharper Olympiakos have been so far. Arsenal appear a little taken aback by the hosts’ vigour...
8.02pm GMT
17 min: A rarity from Ozil - a misplaced pass - just as Arsenal seemed to be cobbling together a dangerous move.
8.01pm GMT
15 min: Ramsey scampers back 30 yards to stick in a fine tackle on Ideye on the edge of the area after Arsenal gave possession away again.
7.59pm GMT
13 min: Campbell muscled off the ball as he made a dash towards the Greek box. The hosts are the better team so far, stronger and more cutting. It’s all quite bitty from Arsenal, who, understandably, look like a team in a state of disrepair.
7.57pm GMT
11 min: Bellerin seems to have been identified as a weakness - and he’s getting no help from Mertesacker. Flailing by that pair enabled Olympiakos to open Arsenal up with a move down the flank, and it would have resulted in a goal if Ideye had been able to find a team-mate with his pull-back from the byline.
7.55pm GMT
8 min: Olympiakos’ speed and commitment on the break is troubling Arsenal. Mertesacker has just fallen over as he tried to cut out a pass to Ideye, who collected the ball and played if further forward. Bellerin eventually conceded a freekick in a dangerous crossing position near the byline. They fed it back to the edge of the area, where the shot was blocked. Olympiakos regained possession and Fortounis then sought a penalty, hurling himself to the ground as Bellerin was poised to make a challenge. The ref wasn’t fooled and, despite angry appeals from the crowd, booked the diver.
7.52pm GMT
6 min: Ideye nutmegs Flamini in midfield and then tries to launch another counter-attack. But Monreal reads his pass to the flank and intercepted it well.
7.50pm GMT
4 min: Arsenal try to piece together an attack, with Ozil featuring several times in the move. But Olympiakos file back dutifully and win the ball back before Arsenal get into position to threaten.
7.48pm GMT
2 min: The pre-game theory was that Olympiakos would let Arsenal dominate possession and try to bother them only on the counter-attack. But in fact Olympiakos have started on the front foot, and Pardo lashes off the first shot, which flies wide from 18 yards.
7.46pm GMT
1 min: Arsenal kick off to bilious boos. Even Campbell isn’t being spared, despite doing well when on loan at Olympiakos a while back. Campbell, by the way, reportedly felt a slight calf strain during the warm-up ... so don’t be surprised if Arsenal lose another player to injury. Well, of course you won’t be surprised.
7.45pm GMT
The teams are on the pitch, Olympiakos wearing Stoke’s kit just to increase the intimidation factor. Arsenal are in black with a dark blue flash.
7.43pm GMT
Everyone keeps going on about how intimidating the atmosphere at the Olympiakos stadium is but that’s just wrong-headed thinking. The trick is to realise that, really, what the home fans are doing is basically just recreating Queen’s Radio Gaga video.
7.32pm GMT
Arsenal fans already dreading the worst, apparently: “I think Arsenal fans fear Ramsey and Walcott being rushed into service and losing them to injury and not advancing,” trembles Scott Wedel.
7.30pm GMT
The Arsenal manager has just told BT’s Des Kelly that: “You want to be brave in an atmosphere that will certainly be very hostile and against a team that will be highly motivated and is very strong physically ... we need to be committed but also disciplined and controlled.”
On Walcott, Wenger says: “I don’t think he has 90 minutes in his body at the moment, nor does Chamberlain, ... so it’s a bit risky but we need to score goals.”
7.27pm GMT
“Is the Kasami in the Olympiakos midfield the same one who stunk out Fulham a few years back,” asks Jeremy Blyth. “Maybe Arsenal have a chance after all!” When you say “stunk out Fulham”, Jeremy, do you mean doing stuff like this?
7.20pm GMT
Just in case it turns out to be significant, I should mention that Ozil and Campbell are a yellow card away from missing the first match in the next round. Pity, perhaps, that Uefa don’t have a disciplinary system like the one in Greece...
Little known fact: A player in the Greek League is banned after 4 bookings and he gets to choose which game he misses, from the next four!
6.56pm GMT
Olympiakos: Roberto; Elbadellaoul, De Costa, Siovas, Masuaku; Kassami, Millvojevic; Seba, Fourtounis, Pardo; Ideye
Subs: Kapino, Botia, Finnbogasson, Dominguez, Sallino, Henanl, Cambiasso
6.44pm GMT
You don’t have to have a long memory to recall Arsenal’s three previous defeats in Piraeus, but perhaps some have forgotten Tottenham’s defeat there in 1972. Pat Jennings hopes everyone has: check out the winning goal (at 2.25 here).
12.17pm GMT
It has come to this: Arsenal must win at Olympiakos by any score other than 1-0 or 2-1 in order to reach the last 16 of the Champions League. Anything else will send the Greeks through instead, eliminating Arsene Wenger’s team at this stage for the first time in 15 years. That would trigger a kinghill stink, condemn Arsene Wenger’s team to the Europa League and jeopardise their Premier League ambitions. So you see, Arsenal have worked themselves into a needlessly elaborate jam from which they must make a James Bond-style escape tonight to avoid being caught up in an explosion of mewling, carping and mutineering from furious Gooners. They will do their damnedest to avert that, hopefully.
Arsenal’s unfortunate (or is it?) injury list could be taken as a slight mitigating factor if they were to fail to accomplish tonight’s mission but chances are that most Arsenal fans will accept no excuse for the club getting itself into this predicament so soon after last year’s elimination by Monaco, when a valiant away leg was not enough to atone for unpardonable negligence in the first leg. There is an obvious risk that tonight could end the same way, with a performance and result not quite good enough to make up for the sloppiness that Arsenal showed in their first two matches of this campaign. There is also a risk that tonight could go even worse than that, and that Arsenal will draw or lose against a side that beat them at the Emirates, need only a draw and are accustomed to getting their way in the heaving, menacing atmosphere of the Karaiskakis Stadium. Indeed, Arsenal have lost all three of visits to Piraeus in the last six years.
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