Marseille – Olympiacos 12-7: Second Loss for the Piraeus Team, Final Four Qualification in Doubt

Olympiacos suffered their second defeat in the ‘quarterfinals’ phase of the Men’s Champions League, making their qualification journey to the Final Four in Malta increasingly difficult. With this loss, the Reds and Whites are now in third place in Group A, three points behind Marseille, who sits in second. In a game filled with potential one-on-one matchups, both teams were neck-and-neck in scoring until midway through the second period, when the French team gradually took control. Olympiacos, missing the injured Papanastasiou and lacking key offensive players (Genedunias, Fountoulis, and Zalanki), tried to close the gap with Bousslie but failed to capitalize on goal opportunities. Zerdevas saved a penalty from Krousigia, but Vernou widened the gap again, while Tesanovic made an impressive save against Kakaris’ shot in the final moments of the third period (9-6). At the start of the last quarter, Prlainovic extended the lead to +4, and the French team maintained control for the remainder of the match, leaving Olympiacos unable to respond. The final margin adds another hurdle that the Greek champions may need to overcome in case of a tie. To keep their hopes alive for Final Four qualification, Olympiacos must secure a win against Jadran Split in Piraeus on April 2nd.