Formed only 11 years ago, Pafos’ maiden participation in UEFA’s premier club competition almost got off to the perfect start. With only three minutes gone, Olympiacos goalkeeper Alexandros Paschalakis breathed a huge sigh of relief when his clearance was charged down by Vlad Dragomir only for the ball to fly narrowly wide.
The UCL debutants were on the attack again in the 10th minute with Jaja – whose goal against FK Crvena Zvezda sent the Cypriots into this season’s league phase – firing a fierce effort straight into Paschalakis’ arms.
However, the odds of Pafos registering a historic win were dealt a blow in the 26th minute as referee Istvan Kovacs sent off Bruno Felipe. Having tested the Romanian official’s patience with a yellow card after 15 minutes, the former Olympiacos player left the man in the middle with no choice but to issue a second booking with a reckless challenge on Lorenzo Pirola.
Despite their numerical advantage and a formation change in attack as Mislav Orsic replaced Landry Dimata, the Greek champions were unable to break the deadlock before half-time.
More Olympiacos changes followed during the break as manager Jose Luis Mendilibar introduced summer signing Mehdi Taremi as well as 18-year-old midfielder Christos Mouzakitis.
Nevertheless, the opening chance of the second half fell to Ayoub El Kaabi, but the prolific Moroccan marksman could only head wide under pressure. The winners of the 2023/24 UEFA Conference League then threatened twice in quick succession shortly after the hour mark.
First, Panagiotis Retsos stung Neofytos Michael’s palms from outside the area, before Olympiacos’ captain saw his header brilliantly saved on the goalline.
Ultimately, Olympiacos’ return to the UCL, with this their first involvement since 2020/21, ended in frustration despite playing the majority of the match with a numerical advantage.
Meanwhile, Pafos return home in high spirits, but face the mammoth task of trying to overcome six-time UCL winners Bayern Munich in their next European fixture at the end of the month.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Derrick Luckassen (Pafos)