Two missed penalties results in a 0-0 for Twente against Olympiacos in the Europa League
A penalty missed by both sides resulted in a 0-0 draw in Athens between Greek team Olympiacos and FC Twente in their UEFA Europa League match on Thursday. Ricky van Wolfswinkel missed a pen for the Tukkers before Ayoub El Kaabi had his effort saved for Olympiacos.
The draw means that Twente is still winless in this season’s Europa League. They are currently three points behind a spot for the playoffs, with their remaining fixtures being against Malmo and Besiktas.
FC Twente was given a boost by the return of goalkeeper Lars Unnerstal. The German has been injured but was deemed fit enough to return for the match and replace Przemysław Tyton.
Very little happened in the first half, with the exception of two huge moments of note. The first came when FC Twente was awarded a penalty in the eighth minute. Michel Vlap’s shot was blocked by the arm of the Olympiacos captain, Panagiotis Retsos, which led to the referee giving Twente a penalty. However, the penalty from the experienced forward Ricky van Wolfswinkel was poor and was easily saved by Olympiacos keeper Konstantinos Tzolakis.
Coincidentally, the other moment of note was another penalty. Olympiacos were given a penalty in the 39th minute when Michel Sadilek clumsily took down Charalampos Kostoulas. This penalty was also taken by a forward in Ayoub El Kaabi, but this effort was also saved. Unnerstal went the same corner as Van Wolfswinkel’s effort, and it paid off.
The second half was a dull affair with very little goalmouth action. This resulted in another game without a goal for Twente, who are clearly struggling to score this season. The Green team was booed by their supporters at the end of the game.
