By George Georgakopoulos

Greek champion Olympiakos slumped to a second defeat to Levante, this time at home with a 1-0 score, leading its fans who rushed to the team’s support at the Karaiskakis Stadium on a rainy night to chant “that’s not how we dream of Olympiakos” at half-time and at the end.

The Reds were once more second best to the team from Valencia that thoroughly deserved the ticket to the round of 16 of the Europa League, on a 4-0 aggregate score.

Picking up from where it had left the tie at the emphatic 3-0 victory at home, Levante scored within the first nine minutes of the game in Piraeus as Obafemi Martins headed in with ease from close range a corner kick from the right, effectively putting an end to any hopes Olympiakos might have had for reversing the first-leg result.

The Spanish threatened on several other occasions as an embarrassed Olympiakos was unable and poorly prepared to match its visitor.

Throughout the game Olympiakos had no more than two or three decent chances to score, the best one being one minute from the end by Dimitris Siovas.

It was a disappointing end to the Reds’ European season, after collecting nine points at the group stage of the Champions League. It was also the second home loss for Olympiakos in February, after going down to Atromitos in the league.

The pitch invasion by one of its fans in the first half will not help the club’s image in Europe either.