THEY say silence is golden.
Here in Athens last night Nuno Espirito Santo’s Wolves made sure silence was Old Golden!
Pedro Neto salvaged a crucial away goalCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Sadly, no Wolves fans were there to roar on their team after Olympiakos were forced to play this first-leg tie behind closed doors, in a desperate attempt to stop the spread of Covid-19.
But Nuno’s boys gave their absent friends plenty to cheer about as their fans watched the action on giant screens in the James Joyce Bar in central Athens, or random pubs dotted around the beautiful little port of Piraeus.
Supersub Pedro Neto noised up the Greeks with a deflected free-kick as Wolves took a firm grip of this tie ahead of Thursday’s return leg at Molineux.
Whether that tie actually takes place is anyone’s guess but right now that looks an increasingly forlorn hope.
Hopefully there will be a full-house whenever, if ever, Olympiakos make it to Molineux because football without fans is a bit like tennis without a net. It’s possible – it’s just a bit pointless.
German supporters call these closed door matches Ghost Games.
And there was certainly an eerie silence as the teams took to the pitch to do their customary pre-match line-up for the benefit of the cameras.
On the left side of the main stand there was a variety of Wolves backroom staff and officials. In the row below them a British press pack which wouldn’t have had enough bodies to make up a football team.
To the right-side sat the Greek press and around 40 invited Olympiakos supporters – most likely players’ family members.
Then, just as we were tempted to chant of: ‘Is this a library?’ the silence was broken …. by a bugle, brought in by an Olympiacos fan!
Wolves celebrate grabbing an equaliserCredit: Getty Images – Getty
El Arabi had given the hosts a surprise lead just before the hourCredit: Handout – Getty
The hardy soul did his best to create a bit of an atmosphere and, in fairness, those around him suddenly belted out OLYM-PIACOS. Repeatedly!
It echoed around the cavernous stadium but couldn’t quite compete with 32,000 crazed Greek fans firing off flares and lighting up the night sky with their Pyro.
There is no doubt both teams were affected by the lack of passion as we witnessed 90 minutes in an atmosphere that was flatter than a blind hedgehog.
French ref Clement Turpin made it clear he was a stickler for fair play when he booked Matt Doherty for a routine foul on Kostas Tsimikas after eight minutes.
However Olympiakos centre half Ruben Semedo didn’t take the hint and he handed Wolves a huge boost just before the half hour when he was red-carded, to leave his side with just 10 men for more than an hour.
In a rare burst of action, Diogo Jota broke the home side’s high defensive line and threatened to burst through on goal. Semedo cut across his path to send him crashing and Turpin sent him packing.
Otherwise there was little to get excited about.
Ruben Semedo saw red on 29 minutesCredit: Handout – Getty
Giorgios Masouras clipped the top of Patricio’s bar but El Arabi had strayed three yards offside and Ruben Neves smacked a free kick off the head of Andreas Bouchalakis as he bounced in the wall.
At half-time you would only have bet on one side winning as Nuno smelled blood against 10-men and sent Pedro Neto on for Doherty, while moving Traore to wing-back.
But out of nowhere Olympiakos somehow snatched the lead as Wolves dozed off for a vital moment.
Guilherme burst through the visitors’ defensive line to take out Saiss and Coady, before rolling the ball across to Youssef El Arabi who had a simple tap in at the back post.
Wolves hadn’t been brilliant but they didn’t deserve to be behind.
Jota had an appeal for a penalty ignored after he was sandwiched by Sa and Ba and Jimenez rifled a shot off Sa’s face after Neto played him through on goal, before Neves curled a 22 yarder a fraction over.
The pressure finally paid off in the 67th minute when teenage sub Neto seized a priceless equaliser after Bouchalakis needlessly fouled Jota 25 yards out.
Moutinho backheeled to Neto who rifled in a sweet left-foot shot which flew in with a helpful deflection of Bouchalakis, to leave Sa totally wrong-footed.
It was a crucial strike that leaves Wolves hot favourites to progress to the quarter-finals.
Sadly, right now we don’t even know if the return leg next Thursday will go ahead.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
