Late Ricardo Pepi goal rescues point for PSV against Olympiakos in the Champions League

PSV managed to escape a second loss in the Champions League on Tuesday. The Eindhoven team equalized during stoppage time of the second half in their away match against Olympiakos, thanks to a 93rd-minute goal from substitute Ricardo Pepi.

With four games played, PSV sits on 5 points. Peter Bosz’s team will face Liverpool away, Atlético Madrid at home, Newcastle United on the road, and Bayern Munich in Eindhoven in their last four games. PSV must finish within the top 24 teams to reach the playoff stage.

PSV struggled in the first half against the Greek champions. Bosz kept faith in the lineup that had delivered strong results lately, such as the 6–2 win over Napoli in the Champions League and the 3–2 victory against Feyenoord in the Eredivisie. Attacking midfielder Guus Til was again deployed up front as center forward.

Ismael Saibari, PSV’s standout performer in recent weeks with multiple goals to his name, found the net in the 12th minute, but his effort was ruled out for a clear offside. Just five minutes later, Olympiakos broke the deadlock when Gelson Martins picked up the ball on the right side of the box and fired a superb shot into the goal to give his team a 1–0 lead.

Around the 30-minute mark, Matej Kovar denied Olympiakos a second goal with a strong save on Lorenzo Pirola’s fierce strike from close range. PSV threatened once more before the break, but Saibari narrowly missed connecting with a header from a Dennis Man cross right in front of goal.

Ivan Perisic came close just after the break but the Croat failed to bend the ball into the goal from a dangerous position. Around the 60-minute mark, coach Peter Bosz made two substitutions, sending on Ricardo Pepi for Til and replacing Dennis Man with winger Couhaib Driouech. Olympiakos almost extended their advantage when Gelson Martins pounced on a loose ball in the box, only for his shot to clip the top of the bar and go over.

Around the midway point of the second half, Peter Bosz brought on fresh legs in Esmir Bajraktarevic and Paul Wanner. Wanner had a good opportunity in the 72nd minute when he was allowed to run unchallenged to the edge of the box, but his shot went astray, lacking both precision and pace.

Olympiakos appeared on course for victory, but in the closing moments, Ricardo Pepi capitalized on a fortunate deflection off captain Jerdy Schouten to slot home the equalizer and make it 1–1.