Ten-Man Heroes! Brave Pafos Stun Olympiacos on Champions League Debut

What a night in Piraeus! Pafos, making their first-ever appearance in the Champions League group stage, showed heart, fight, and discipline to earn a famous draw against Olympiacos – even after going down to ten men before the half-hour mark.

Red Card Shock!
Disaster struck early when right-back Bruno Felipe was shown two yellow cards in just 26 minutes. For many debutants, that could have been the end. But not for Pafos. The Cypriot champions didn’t crumble. Instead, they regrouped, dug deep, and showed Europe exactly why they had knocked out Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Dynamo Kyiv, and Red Star Belgrade to get here.

Olympiacos Turn Up the Heat
The Greek giants smelled blood. With former Chelsea man David Luiz forced off, Pafos looked vulnerable. Olympiacos controlled the ball, pushed forward in waves, and turned the stadium into a cauldron of pressure. But here’s the twist: possession does not equal goals. For all their dominance, Olympiacos couldn’t find a way through.

Keeper Stands Tall!
Neofytos Michael was the hero in goal. He denied captain Panagiotis Retsos with a stunning save from distance, then kept his cool from the resulting corner. Every time Olympiacos thought they had their moment, the Cypriot shot-stopper shut the door.

VAR Drama Adds Fire
Tempers boiled over when Olympiacos forward Mehdi Taremi saw red for a wild tackle on Jaja during a Pafos counter. But VAR intervened, downgrading it to yellow. The home crowd roared, the tension rose, and suddenly every tackle felt like it could decide the game.

Final Minutes of Madness!
Olympiacos threw everything at Pafos in the last 10 minutes. Taremi had one shot blocked, another skewed wide. But Pafos stood firm. Every clearance, every challenge, every save mattered. When the whistle blew, the Cypriot players sank to the ground – exhausted, but proud.

A Debut to Remember
This was no fluke. Pafos proved they belong on Europe’s biggest stage. Ten men for over an hour, but unbeaten in nine away games now. Their dream continues.

So here’s the question: if Pafos can survive Olympiacos in Greece with a man down, how far can they go in this Champions League adventure?