Olympiacos, led by the Spanish Imanol Alguacil, consolidated itself on the second day of the group stage of the Europa League after beating Olympique de Marseille 1‑0 at the Vélodrome. The goal, scored in the seventh minute by Argentine Santiago Hezze, came from a corner kick that the Central African could not stop, and left the Greek team with an early lead that allowed them to adopt a more defensive style for the rest of the match.
Since his arrival, Alguacil has placed special emphasis on defensive solidity, and the result confirms it. The visitors, forced to react after the goal, tried several times to overcome the Olympiacos wall, but the defense of Imanol's team remained firm and did not concede any clear opportunities. Despite pressure from Marseille, the French team failed to draw and finished with six points from their six games.
With this victory, Olympiacos has 12 points in the Europa League table, which places it in a secure position within the first 24 places. The result also reinforces the team's tendency to maintain games with few goals, something that the Basque coach has sought to encourage in his management.
Olympique de Marseille, for its part, is left without points after the defeat and is outside the qualifying zone. The French club will have to focus on its next game against Sturm Graz, where it will try to make up for lost ground and avoid a deeper relegation in the competition.
In short, Olympiacos continues its unstoppable streak under the direction of Imanol Alguacil, showing that solid defense and an early goal can be enough to secure victory in the most demanding matches of the Europa League.