NEC Nijmegen 2-1 Olympiakos: Dutch side dig deep for dramatic win
Reviewed by Elison · Tue 11 Aug 2026UEFA Champions League · 3rd Qualifying Round
NEC NijmegenFULL-TIME
Olympiakos PiraeusTuesday 11 August 2026 · 19:30
Our score 1-1★ Exact scoreHot tip Full-time draw✓ Won
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
Dani García was booked in the 12th minute, and Olympiakos Piraeus lost Jota Silva to injury three minutes later, with Kostas Fortounis coming on in his place. NEC Nijmegen made a change of their own in the 30th minute, sending on Emre Mor for Sami Ouaissa.
The opening goal arrived at the start of the second half, when Ayoub El Kaabi scored in the 46th minute to give Olympiakos a 1-0 lead. Rodinei was booked in the 55th minute, and Gustavo Sá followed him into the referee’s book four minutes later before being withdrawn in the 61st minute. NEC levelled in the 70th minute through Bryan Linssen, assisted by Dušan Tadic, making it 1-1.
Olympiakos’s afternoon grew significantly harder in the 79th and 80th minutes, when Fortounis’s yellow card was upgraded to a red after a VAR review and he was sent off. Brayann Pereira was booked in the 88th minute, and Kaj Sierhuis came on from the bench in the same minute. In the 90th minute plus four of stoppage time, Sierhuis was booked, and a goal he had scored was ruled out after a VAR review.
The decisive moment came in the 95th minute, when Emre Mor scored — assisted by Sierhuis — to make it 2-1 and settle the 3rd Qualifying Round tie in NEC Nijmegen’s favour. Both sides made further changes deep into extra time, and Lorenzo Scipioni was booked for Olympiakos in the 111th minute, but the result was already beyond doubt.
The Numbers
The statistics underline NEC Nijmegen’s dominance across the match. The Dutch side enjoyed 54% of possession to Olympiakos’s 46% 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. 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.
