Burnley 1-1 Olympiakos: Report, Ratings & Reaction as Wasteful Clarets Crash Out of Europa League
Burnley were knocked out of the Europa League on Thursday as they drew 1-1 at Turf Moor, but were defeated 4-1 on aggregate by Olympiakos which ended their European dream.
Daniel Podence scored with just six minutes to play for the visitors after a night of isolation for him, but his patience was rewarded as Burnley committed forward and counter-attacked their Premier League opponents to seal the deal with seven minutes on the clock. The home side got their goal just moments later which was richly deserved after they completely dominated throughout.
Sean Dyche's side battled valiantly in the second half but ultimately failed to overcome the relentless pressure from the Erythrolefkoi, who stopped the Lancashire-based outfit in their tracks.
It was the first time that Burnley had qualified for Europe in 51 years and had got past the likes of Aberdeen and Istanbul Basaksehir to reach the final round of qualifying before their journey ended at the final hurdle.
Here is the full breakdown from the encounter at Turf Moor.
BURNLEY
Key Talking Point
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The Clarets should have been three up before half-time, and their wastefulness ultimately became the trend of the game for Burnley. Several golden chances should have been taken, if they were then the game would have been completely different. Sam Vokes, Jeff Hendrick, Aaron Lennon - these are just some of the names that should have got on the score sheet and their big game composure came into question as the Turf Moor faithful grew increasingly frustrated as the game wore on.
Time eventually became Burnley's worst enemy as Olympiakos grew into the game despite being outclassed in midfield throughout.
Player Ratings
Starting XI: Heaton (6); Bardsley (5), Mee (7), Long (6), Taylor (6); McNeil (8),
Westwood (7), Hendrick (6), Lennon (5); Vokes (6), Barnes (6).
Substitutes: Vydra (7), Cork (7), Wood (6)
STAR MAN -Dwight McNeil
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It was an outstanding performance from the 18-year-old midfielder, who is experiencing his first season playing first team football for the Clarets as McNeil impressed for the U-23s last season. Dyche took a gamble on the youngster by bringing him in on such a big occasion, some say prematurely, but McNeil proved them otherwise.
He arguably should have scored as he let rip from distance just after the break but Olympiakos goalkeeper Andreas Giannoitis tipped the perfectly connected strike over the crossbar.
What a moment it would have been for the Rochdale lad and he was embraced into the bosom of the Burnley fans as he received a standing ovation when he was substituted with 15 minutes remaining.
WORST PLAYER -Aaron Lennon
The 31-year-old had a surprisingly poor game as it wasn't the sort of match that played into his hands, although on paper it appeared to be a game that was made for him.
The former England international wasted an opportunity that was presented to him on a silver platter in the second half, as he completely scuffed an effort from close range with only the goalkeeper in front of him. Burnley supporters will be disappointed with his performance, especially with the experience that the Englishman brings to the table.
Looking Ahead
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Some will say that the roll of the dice wasn't with the Clarets, others will say that they were wasteful. Whatever the various conclusions may be, Sean Dyche and his players will be kicking themselves and be wondering how they didn't get through to the group stages of the Europa League.
When the transfer window closed, their lack of improvement in the striking department was always going to be a cause of concern as the manager didn't feel the need to bring in a top quality forward capable of 15-20 goals a season.
It could be the start of a bad run for the Clarets after a poor start in the Premier League, but their achievement will shine on as the club can be proud of getting to Europe in the first place. The experience can only benefit them going forward.
