The home side quickly saw their lead slip away as they conceded two penalties to Ayoub El Kaabi in the first half. Ollie Watkins managed to score for the visitors just before half time, but Olympiakos equalized through Moussa Diaby shortly after the interval. Another penalty from El Kaabi and a deflected strike from Santiago Hezze sealed a victory for Olympiakos at Villa Park.
Unai Emery, the coach, was visibly frustrated on the sidelines as his favored team missed a late penalty, leaving them with a tough task in the second leg in Piraeus next week. Emery’s passionate halftime team talk was interrupted by a supporter’s cardiac arrest, causing a brief delay in the start of the second half. Despite the setbacks, Aston Villa is eager to turn things around in Greece in hopes of winning their first major trophy since 1996.
