Greeks down poor Reds

Liverpool slumped to a disappointing 1-0 defeat at Olympiakos.

The Reds looked subdued all night in Athens and were ultimately undone by their continuing inability to defend crosses from set pieces.

Ieroklis Stoltidis was the match-winner for the Greek side as his first half header was enough to earn a 1-0 win in what was a niggly encounter littered with needless free kicks and stoppages.

The home side started brighter in their new Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, and they went close after just five minutes when Yiannis Okkas struck Jerzy Dudek's near post with a low shot.

The warning was not heeded by a sluggish Liverpool side and the Greeks took the lead on 17 minutes when Ieroklis Stoltidis rose to head Olympiakos in front.

Rivaldo's free kick on the right had taken a slight deflection but Stoltidis had too much space and fired a meaty header past Dudek's despairing dive.

The game was a scrappy affair and broken up by the sound of Pierluigi Collina's whistle which marked a host of niggly free kicks.

Rivaldo showed he still has class in his Brazilian boots by blazing a screamer just wide of Dudek's post from 30 yards.

Liverpool were struggling to get into the match and Dudek's uncertainty meant John Arne Riise had to be alert to clear a header away from danger with Okkas threatening.

Things started slightly better for the visitors after the interval, with Rafa Benitez throwing Harry Kewell into the action for Stephen Warnock.

Olympiakos lacked the thrust of the first period while Liverpool had more of the ball, with the quiet Xabi Alonso showing some better touches.

There was still little threat on Antonis Nikopolidis' goal however, and Benitez was forced to bring Djibril Cisse on to offer more threat up front.

However, it was Olympiakos who nearly doubled their lead just a minute after Cisse's arrival, with yet more uncertainty in the visitors' defence.

Again, as at Old Trafford last Monday, it was crosses that were causing Liverpool problems, as Stoltidis was within inches of grabbing his second of the game.

Dudek came flapping at Rivaldo's corner but Stoltidis' header came back off the crossbar to the relief of the visitors.

Liverpool were given a ray of hope with ten minutes left to play when Anastasios Pantos was given his marching orders by Collina.

Pantos was booked in the first half and he received his second yellow card of the match for needlessly hauling back Kewell, leaving ten men to defend their 1-0 lead.

Olympiakos substitute Giorgios Georgiadis had a golden opportunity to seal the match on 86 minutes when he raced clear of the visiting defence, but he dragged his shot wide of Dudek's goal.

Liverpool showed little on the attacking front all night and thoroughly deserved to lose to Greek opponents for the first time in their European history.

Player Ratings

Olympiakos	Team Statistics	Liverpool
1	Goals	0
1	1st Half Goals	0
3	Shots on Target	0
8	Shots off Target	3
1	Blocked Shots	1
3	Corners	5
26	Fouls	30
1	Offsides	7
3	Yellow Cards	2
1	Red Cards	0
71.6	Passing Success	71
37	Tackles	44
62.2	Tackles Success	54.5
43.5	Possession	56.5
62.8	Territorial Advantage	37.2