Mitroglou rediscovers scoring touch after Fulham let-down
Costas Mitroglou banished the memories of his disappointing spell in England after breaking a 10-month goal drought as Olympiakos Piraeus secured a thrilling 3-2 Champions League win over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.
The 26-year-old striker, who had last scored in November 2013 in a World Cup playoff for Greece, grabbed the third goal in what was a stunning victory for the Greek champion in its Group A opener.
Mitroglou was at Fulham last season but struggled with injury and loss of form and made only one start for the London club as it was relegated from the Premier League.
“I came to Olympiakos to help them and for the club also to help me,» Mitroglou told reporters.
“I know what I can do and today I just played the way I know how to play soccer. It is important that (Olympiakos coach) Michel is in the dugout. He knows me and we have mutual trust and after finding my feet again tonight I feel absolutely fine.”
It was a win which left Atletico coach Diego Simeone, who was serving a touchline ban, with plenty to mull over. «Obviously this was a very negative result for us,» said the Argentine.
“Clearly Olympiakos is in a good position and what we feel now is a higher sense of responsibility to turn things around.
“We did threaten all throughout the match, but it (Olympiakos) wa very determined and it got a valuable win.”
Masuaku, who scored the opener on his Champions League debut, believes Olympiakos has no need to fear the bigger clubs.
“We are a young team, but we showed today that we have good chemistry,» the 20-year-old said.
“This helps in soccer, when you have a strong connection with your team mates then you play good football and score goals. I don’t think we should fear anyone based on the way we have played,» the former Valenciennes player added.
Atletico’s French forward Antoine Griezmann praised the home fans, who created an intimidating atmosphere that helped contribute to a memorable night for the host.
“I take my hat off to the Olympiakos fans; they were incredible and made a difference,» he told reporters.
“We didn’t underestimate Olympiakos, our coach had told us that we would be up against an excellent team and it showed on the pitch. We have to try not to repeat the same mistakes in the next match if we want to bounce back.”
[Reuters]
