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	Blanc scores first goal

United were starting the game with just one change from the side that clawed a point from their Premiership clash with Fulham last Saturday. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was given a place on the bench whilst his spot in the first eleven was handed to Diego Forlan. It was the former Independiente striker's second start of the season and he would be alone up front with Paul Scholes operating between him and the midfield.

United met Olympiakos in last season's competition but that away leg was staged at Spiros Louis, the 73,000 capacity main stadium in Athens, which is currently being re-built in preparation for the 2004 Olympic Games.

This time it's the rather more modest Apollon Rizoupolis with sufficient space for slightly less than 15,000 fanatical Olympiakos supporters.

The noise they were putting out was more like 73,000 as the game got under way, but the volume was soon reduced after United had opened with a couple of promising excursions upfield. Laurent Blanc went agonisingly close with a header whilst Paul Scholes tested Eleftheropoulos with an audacious 40 yard shot that troubled the keeper.

Predrag Djordjevic was perfectly positioned to take a pass from Stylianos Venetidis in the 14th minute but when the ball arrived he mis-cued and a real chance had passed them by.

United had opened the game in good style and were looking comfortable on a very warm evening in the Greek capital. And their early domination of the home side was consolidated in the 21st minute when they strode into the lead. The Reds had been pressing and it was little surprise when they went in front. Ryan Giggs sent over a corner, left-footed from the right, and it was met by Blanc who, totally unhindered, headed just inside the post.

The former French international is unlikely to score a more simple goal, but it merely highlighted the ease at which United were commanding the proceedings. 

It was certainly expected to be a bigger test for United but as the first half eased towards the break there was still little on offer from Olympiakos. Phil Neville provided United with their last strike on goal of the half when he burst through a group of home defenders to thump in a shot that wasn't that far away.

Olympiakos made an alteration to their firepower for the second half with Lambros Choutos taking over from Giovanni. But it was Forlan, United's main striker on the night, who had the first real chance after the resumption. A sweeping move concluded with Scholes finding the long-haired frontman, but he had been pushed wide by the Olympiakos defence and his shot, which lacked pace, was easily saved by the keeper.

There was little improvement from the home side after the break as United looked more and more at ease with their circumstances.

United's position as the group's undisputed leaders appeared more secure as the minutes ticked by and that was strengthened even further in the 59th minute when Juan Sebastian Veron put United two-up with a brilliant right foot shot that Eleftheropoulos was unable to reach.

Manchester United fans

Sir Alex Ferguson must have been feeling very pleased with events for almost immediately he withdrew two of his most experienced European warriors - Beckham and Giggs - and replaced them with the two shadow wide men - Quinton Fortune and Luke Chadwick - who are both in need of first team action.

Football has always been unpredictable, but the events which unfolded in a four minute spell midway through the half really wasn't expected. Olympiakos, from a position where defeat appeared a certainty, suddenly came to life to score twice with United's defence in disarray.

First it was substitute Choutos who raced through United's lines in the 70th minute to give his side hope and then four minutes later Djordjevic did precisely the same to level the tie.

What had appeared to be a stroll in the park was all of a sudden a battle with Olympiakos pressing forward in search of the winner.

The home side were amazingly thrust into a position where they could take all three points, but just as the home supporters began to believe it would be their night, United hit back to retake the lead. Veron, who had been involved in much of United's best work, was in the thick of it again to set-up Scholes to blast home an angled drive. The keeper did get a hand to it but the pace carried it into the far side of the net.

The evening ended on great note for United, but particularly for 18-year-old Greenwich-born Kieran Richardson who was sent on for his first team debut with two minutes remaining.

Olympiakos Piraeus: Eleftheropoulos; Patsatzoglu, Anatolakis, Antzas, Venetidis; Karembeu, Zetterberg, Edu Dracena; Giannakopoulos (Mavrogenidis, 88), Giovanni (Choutos, 46), Djordjevic. Subs not used: Amanatidis, Oforiquaye, Kostoulas, Niniadis, Katergiannakis. 

United: Barthez; G Neville, O'Shea, Blanc, Silvestre; Beckham (Chadwick, 63), P Neville,
Veron (Richardson, 88) Giggs (Fortune, 63); Scholes; Forlan. Subs not used: May, Ricardo,
Solskjaer, Roche.

Report by Cliff Butler.