Giroud scores hat-trick, Arsenal narrowly escapes into round of 16

A 3-0 victory on the field of direct competitor Olympiacos helped coach Arsene Wenger and his team win a ticket to continue in the Champions League.

Giroud is only the fourth Arsenal player to score a hat-trick in the Champions League, after Thierry Henry, Nicklas Bendtner and Danny Welbeck. Photo: Reuters

Three away goals, all from their top scorer, beating their direct rivals and qualifying for the Champions League group stage for the 16th year in a row, Arsenal have produced one of the most impressive exits in European football's premier competition.

Wenger and his team entered the match on the back foot, as they needed to beat Olympiakos 3-2, or preferably by two goals or more, to advance. That was a difficult task, as Arsenal were under great pressure, while Olympiakos had both home-field advantage and psychological advantage, having beaten the Gunners 3-2 in London.

Amidst all this, Arsenal not only won, but also won 3-0, paying back the debt and interest to their Greek opponents. On a brilliant evening, Olivier Giroud became Arsenal's savior when he scored all three goals against Olympiakos.

The French striker opened the scoring in the 29th minute with a header from Aaron Ramsey's cross, a goal that commentator Mark Lawrenson described as "the most important, as it gave Arsenal belief and helped them take complete control of the game afterwards".

Four minutes into the second half, Giroud shone again with a delicate left-footed touch after a through ball from teammate Campbell. This was the move that Giroud himself retreated to the centre circle, received a pass from goalkeeper Petr Cech, before accelerating into the penalty area to finish the job.

The striker, who was once criticised for being a wooden leg, later firmly affirmed Arsenal's progress, with a third goal, from the penalty spot in the 67th minute, after a home player used his hand to block Nacho Monreal's shot in the penalty area.

Arsenal will advance as the second team in Group F and therefore, face a very high risk of facing "sharks" in the round of 16 such as Real, Barca or Atletico Madrid. But that was in February 2016. Now, Wenger and his team can hold their heads high after a brilliant performance at Karaiskakis Stadium.

Wenger's Arsenal lost two matches in a row and were crushed 5-1 by Bayern in the fourth match, but still recovered in time to escape the clutches of death. Photo: Reuters.

This was a match where Arsenal could not field their strongest squad, due to injuries to two important attacking players, Santi Cazorla, Alexis Sanchez and number one defensive midfielder Francis Coquelin. However, the positions that coach Wenger arranged to play all completed their tasks excellently, creating a foundation for victory.

Mathieu Flamini provided the much-needed intensity in midfield, helping Arsenal weather the storm in the opening minutes as Olympiakos started the game with verve. If luck had been better, the veteran Frenchman would have opened the scoring, with a shot that went over the crossbar in the 25th minute.

Joel Campbell and Theo Walcott, who replaced Cazorla and Sanchez, also had a memorable evening. Campbell started on the left side of the attack and was a nightmare for opposition defences with his speed and trickery.

The young Costa Rican striker was the one to send a cross for Flamini to hit the crossbar, before turning five Olympiakos defenders into targets in the build-up to Giroud's second goal. Campbell's movement also matched Giroud's and created hope for a deadly strike partnership for Arsenal.

Campbell (right) played for Olympiakos for a season on loan from Arsenal. Yesterday, he returned and made his old team miserable. Photo: Reuters.

No goals, no assists, but Walcott still created a certain excitement with smart movements and proved very dangerous both when playing on the wings and when moving into the middle.

Olympiakos were a shadow of their former selves when they dispatched Arsenal in London in the second leg. They barely created any attacking moves and had only one real scoring chance in the match, but Kostas Fortounis could not beat the experienced goalkeeper Petr Cech.

Arsenal, along with two other English sides Chelsea and Man City, will find out who their opponents will be in the last 16 when the draw is held on Monday. Olympiakos finished third with nine points, taking a place in the Europa League round of 32.

According to VNE