Containing Chelsea and seeking to strike on the counter-attack had been Olympiakos' original gameplan but damage limitation quickly became the primary objective after Chelsea struck twice inside the opening 25 minutes. Stuart James reports.
It is now 60 matches unbeaten in all competitions for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, a record the Greek champions were never in danger of ruining. Olympiakos's frailties were brutally exposed as Michael Ballack, Frank Lampard and Salomon Kalou delivered victory.
The scoreline was in keeping with Olympiakos' record in England, having conceded at least two goals on each of their previous seven visits. Containing Chelsea and seeking to strike on the counter-attack had been their original gameplan but damage limitation quickly became the primary objective after Chelsea struck twice inside the opening 25 minutes. A procession duly unfolded, with the only doubt surrounding Chelsea's winning margin.
Grant praised "the character and attitude" of his side but, as well as Chelsea played at times, this was no reliable barometer of their ability to win the European Cup in Moscow. Arsenal, Manchester United and, providing they negotiate the second leg in Milan, Liverpool are possible opponents in the next round and, while Grant expressed no preferences, the Chelsea manager will expect a far more demanding challenge.
So comfortable were Chelsea that Didier Drogba, restored in place of Nicolas Anelka, and Kalou, deployed on the left in an attacking trident which also featured Joe Cole, were showboating before half-time. John Terry had also taken the opportunity to maraud forward on occasions, a measure of the confidence coursing through the Chelsea side.
Only in the final 10 minutes, when the substitute Fernando Belluschi at last offered an attacking threat, did Olympiakos trouble Carlo Cudicini. Twice the Chelsea goalkeeper then made smart saves, thwarting Belluschi and Paraskevas Antzas, although for the remainder of the evening the Italian could have been forgiven for wondering if his presence was necessary in the absence of Petr Cech.
Cech had been unexpected omission, having twisted an ankle in training 24 hours earlier, an injury which might have unsettled Chelsea's preparations for a European tie on other occasions. That possibility was discounted inside five minutes, however, as Chelsea took an early lead through Ballack's first Champions League goal of the season.
Lampard was the architect, the England midfielder whipping a rightfooted cross towards the corner of the six-yard box which Ballack, timing his run impeccably, headed emphatically inside the near post. Ashley Cole's quick throw-in had exposed a lack of concentration within the Olympiakos defence in the leadup to the breakthrough, and the defending of the Greek side was little better when Lampard and Ballack combined again 20 minutes later.
Amid consternation in the Olympiakos penalty area, Predrag Djordjevic's clearance carried height rather than distance, encouraging Claude Makelele to maintain Chelsea's pressure. The Frenchman's header found Terry in space on the corner of the penalty area, inviting the captain to glance into the path of Ballack. An angled drive was parried by Antonios Nikopolodis, leaving Lampard, with the goal at his mercy from two yards, to tap home.
Olympiakos were crestfallen, the interval providing only temporary respite. The second-half was not three minutes old when Lampard drifted an inswinging corner towards the near post. Following a slight touch from Drogba, Kalou was afforded the time and space to take a touch inside the six-yard box before bundling the ball beyond the stranded Nikopolidis. A rout beckoned and the fourth goal should have arrived five minutes later when Kalou's pass released Lampard, only for the midfielder to put his shot wide. Lampard was later booked for an alleged dive, prompting Grant to withdraw the midfielder wary of a second dismissal in two games. It was the only moment of concern for the Chelsea manager on a night which revealed little about his players' prospects in the competition.
THE RESULTSMarch 5Chelsea 3 (Ballack 6, Lampard 25, Kalou 48) bt Olympiakos 0.
Half-time: 2-0. Aggregate: 3-0.FC Porto 1 (Lopez 86) bt Schalke-04 0. Half-time: 0-0. Aggregate: 1-1.
Penalties: Schalke-04 4 (Rafinha, Rakitic, Altintop, Jones) bt FC Porto 1 (Gonzalez).
Real Madrid 1 (Raul 75) lost to Roma 2 (Taddei 73, Vucinic 90).
Half-time: 0-0. Aggregate: 2-4.March 4AC Milan 0 lost to Arsenal 2 (Fabregas 84, Adebayor 90). Half-time: 0-0. Aggregate: 0-2.
Barcelona 1 (Xavi 4) bt Celtic 0. Half-time: 1-0. Aggregate: 4-2. Manchester United 1 (Ronaldo 41) bt Lyon 0. Half-time: 1-0. Aggregate: 2-1.
Sevilla 3 (Daniel 6, Keita 9, Kanoute 41) bt Fenerbahce 2 (Deivid 21 & 80). Half-time: 3-1. Aggregate: 5-5. Penalties: Sevilla 2 (Kanoute, Dragutinovic) lost to Fenerbahce 3 (Wederson, Aurelio, Kezman).
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