NEC Nijmegen 2-1 Olympiakos Piraeus: Dutch Side Dig Deep to Claim Dramatic Champions League Victory

UEFA Champions League · 3rd Qualifying Round

NEC Nijmegen

2 – 1
FULL-TIME

Olympiakos Piraeus

Tuesday 11 August 2026 · 19:30 · Stadion de Goffert, Nijmegen

NEC Nijmegen secured a memorable 2-1 victory over Olympiakos Piraeus in the UEFA Champions League, a result that required resilience, character and a clinical touch in the final stages of an extended and ill-tempered contest. The Dutch side fell behind at the start of the second half but rallied magnificently, eventually sealing the win deep into additional time to take all three points.

How the Game Unfolded

Olympiakos made a difficult start to the match when D. Garcia was shown a yellow card as early as the 12th minute for tripping, setting an edgy tone. The Greek side were also forced into an early tactical reshuffle, bringing on Jota Silva for K. Fortounis just three minutes later at the quarter-hour mark. NEC themselves were not immune to disruption, making two substitutions before half-time — S. Ouaissa replacing E. Mor in the 30th minute and P. Sandler coming on for B. Pereira four minutes later — suggesting the home side also had issues to manage before the interval.

It was Olympiakos who drew first blood, however. Barely a minute into the second half, A. El Kaabi struck to give the Greek side a 1-0 lead, rewarding their resilience from a period in which they had absorbed significant NEC pressure. The visitors’ afternoon grew more complicated shortly after, though, as the disciplinary situation worsened. Rodinei was booked for roughing in the 55th minute, and G. Sa followed him into the referee’s book four minutes later for the same offence, only to be substituted off in the 61st minute — a departure that was in all likelihood enforced by his growing disciplinary burden.

NEC levelled in the 70th minute when B. Linssen converted, assisted by the experienced D. Tadic, restoring parity and shifting the momentum firmly in the home side’s favour. Two minutes later, Olympiakos made a double substitution, bringing on L. Scipioni for D. Garcia and J. Roca for G. Martins, as the Greek side tried to reorganise. Their evening deteriorated further in the 80th minute when Fortounis — who had ironically been substituted off earlier but returned through the data as a named player — received a red card for tripping, reducing Olympiakos to ten men at a critical stage.

The closing minutes were frenetic. In the 88th minute, B. Pereira was booked for roughing, and a late NEC goal from K. Sierhuis was ruled out following a VAR review for offside in the third minute of stoppage time. Sierhuis then received a yellow card immediately after the disallowed goal. Justice came for the hosts in the 95th minute, however, when E. Mor tucked home the winner, assisted by Sierhuis, to send NEC into raptures and wrap up a hard-fought but ultimately deserved victory. Substitutions continued deep into the additional period on both sides, with Olympiakos also picking up a late yellow card for B. Onyemaechi for unsportsmanlike conduct in the 111th minute.

The Numbers

The statistics underline NEC Nijmegen’s dominance across the match. The Dutch side enjoyed 55% of possession to Olympiakos’s 45% and were considerably more threatening in front of goal, registering 16 total shots to the visitors’ 10. Crucially, NEC placed 7 shots on target compared to just 2 from Olympiakos, a disparity that helps explain why the Olympiakos goalkeeper was called upon to make 5 saves while his NEC counterpart needed only 1. NEC also produced 11 shots from inside the box against Olympiakos’s 6, confirming their superiority in dangerous areas. In terms of passing, NEC completed 449 of 595 attempted passes for a 75% accuracy rate, while Olympiakos managed 341 accurate passes from 493 attempts at 69%. The disciplinary picture was stark: Olympiakos collected 4 yellow cards and 1 red card to NEC’s 2 yellow cards, a numerical disadvantage that ultimately proved decisive in the contest’s closing stages.

Conclusion

NEC Nijmegen demonstrated admirable determination to overturn a deficit against Olympiakos Piraeus, producing a performance that was both statistically superior and mentally robust. The victory, sealed in the dying moments of a lengthy and feisty encounter, will stand as a significant result in the club’s UEFA Champions League campaign. For Olympiakos, the red card for Fortounis and a string of bookings tell the story of a side that ultimately undermined their own efforts through indiscipline.

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Written by Elison

Writes match previews, predictions, and post-match analysis for MatchdayValue, covering the top five European leagues and Europe's continental competitions.