Olympiakos 3-1 Burnley: Clarets left with a mountain to climb

Burnley have a mountain to climb to reach the Europa League group stages after a 3-1 play-off first-leg defeat by Olympiakos in Athens.

Kostas Fortounis scored a free-kick and a penalty, either side of setting up Andreas Bouchalakis for Olympiakos' other goal.

Chris Wood had made it 1-1 from the spot before the break but Ben Gibson's dismissal ended Burnley's hopes of getting back into the match.

Fortounis gave Olympiakos the lead when he curled a free-kick up and over the wall from 25 yards, before it dipped into the bottom corner.

Burnley rallied and equalised through Wood, who won the penalty before calmly slotting it home.

After the break, Olympiakos took control when Gibson was cautioned for a foul which gave the hosts a free-kick on the edge of the box, which Fortounis whipped onto Bouchalakis' head and into the net.

Gibson's second bookable offence came when a fiercely struck shot rebounded off his arm, there was nothing the Burnley man could do but the referee still sent him off.

Fortounis got his second when he sent Tom Heaton the wrong way from the spot to kill off the game

Opta stats

• Burnley have conceded six goals in total in their last two games in all competitions, after shipping just four in the six before that
• On home soil, Olympiakos have a 100 per cent record in UEFA Cup/Europa League qualifying, winning their six games by an aggregate score of 18-4.
• Konstantinos Fortounis' opener ended a run of 321 minutes without a goal conceded by Burnley in Europe this season.
• Burnley conceded a direct free-kick goal for the first time in any competition since September 10, 2016 against Hull City in the Premier League.
• Chris Wood has scored three goals in his last six starts for Burnley in all competitions, as many as in his previous 14 for the club.
• Burnley both scored and conceded a penalty goal in the same game for the first time since September 2017 against Leeds United in the League Cup.
• The Clarets scored with their only shot on target in the game.

What next?

The second leg will take place at Turf Moor on Thursday, August 30 at 8pm.

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