Olympiakos vs. Arsenal: Score and Reaction from 2015 Champions League Match

Olivier Giroud was the hero for Arsenal during their 3-0 win over Olympiakos, scoring the first hat-trick of his Gunners career and guiding the team to a spot in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League.

The France international opened the scoring after half an hour with a powerful header before doubling his tally early in the second half. His third goal, which came from the penalty spot, meant Olympiakos would have to score three goals of their own to advance to the next round, and the hosts never came close to that.

As reported by the MailOnline's Spencer Morgan, the Gunners have now advanced to the knockout stages of Europe's premiere club competition in 16 consecutive seasons. 

As shared by the club's official Twitter account, both Theo Walcott and Giroud started for the Gunners:

There was a slight scare during warm-ups, as Mesut Ozil complained of tightness in his calf, but the German passing wizard was deemed fit enough to start.

Olympiakos started the brightest with some early possession, and Laurent Koscielny had to pay attention to intervene when Felipe Pardo made an early run for Petr Cech's goal.

Konstantinos Fortounis fell down inside the box after 10 minutes looking for a penalty, but the official wasn't fooled and promptly awarded the Olympiakos man the first booking of the match for simulation.

Per Mertesacker was caught napping, allowing Brown Ideye to head a ball back into the box that was cleared just in time by Koscielny. ArsenalFanTV was getting nervous:

The Gunners weathered the early storm quite well and started seeing more of the ball, but a mistake from Hector Bellerin nearly cost them, and Aaron Ramsey had to make a strong tackle on Ideye to stop him from running straight at Cech.

Pardo did well to find Seba in front of goal, but the Brazilian's first-time shot failed to hit the target. Arsenal's defence continued to see much of the ball, as their attackers simply couldn't get into the match. Giroud in particular was nearly invisible, and Olympiakos did a fantastic job slowing down Ozil and keeping the ball away from their goal.

The first big chance of the match fell to the visitors, however. Giroud finally found some space and immediately delivered a great ball to Joel Campbell, who pulled it back to Mathieu Flamini. The Frenchman had little time to get his shot off but nearly gave the Gunners the lead, clipping the crossbar.

Giroud then found himself on the end of an inviting cross but could only head the ball straight at the goalkeeper, as Arsenal suddenly started to show their worth, per Goal UK:

Olympiakos had no answer for Arsenal's sudden burst, and before long, the Gunners took the lead. Ozil fed the ball to Ramsey, who found Giroud with another cross. The French striker's header was pushed onto the post by stopper Roberto, but it bounced back out and off the 'keeper before crossing the goal line.

Per Squawka Football, Giroud has been in excellent form of late:

Olympiakos tried to regain their composure and move forward again, but with Arsenal needing just one goal to qualify, the Gunners seemed to grow more and more comfortable. Giroud's hold-up play created more space in midfield as well, and Arsenal clearly took the upper hand towards the end of the first half.

A smart run from Giroud pulled defenders away from Walcott, but the England international's strike dribbled just wide of the upright. On the other side of the pitch, Pardo once again beat Nacho Monreal, and Koscielny's block saw the ball leap over the goal for a corner. Cech did well to get down quickly and stop a shot from Arthur Masuaku, preserving the lead.

Ramsey, who was already on a yellow card, came dangerously close to a second booking for a foul on Masuaku just before half-time, but the Gunners finished the half with 11 players and on schedule to grab the vital two-goal win, per James Olley of the London Evening Standard:

Pardo continued blazing past Monreal in the second half, as the Spanish full-back just couldn't find a way to stop his man, but fortunately for Arsenal, Mertesacker was positioned well to deal with the threat.

The curse of Arsenal's third kit, which has already seen a number of vital contributors suffer injuries while playing in it, seemed to strike again early in the second half, as Giroud went down to the ground clutching his ankle.

Fortunately for the Gunners, the Frenchman was able to continue, and just a minute later, he was played in beautifully by Campbell, sliding the ball under Roberto to virtually put the team in the next round.

Bleacher Report's James McNicholas couldn't help himself:

Olympiakos came very close to scoring minutes later, but Dimitris Siovas couldn't direct his header beyond Cech, who comfortably handed the ball. 

Walcott saw an effort deflect just wide of the post before Cech produced an incredible save to deny Fortounis, with chances coming fast on both sides of the pitch now. 

Giroud was handed a yellow card for a foul on Pardo before Omar Elabdellaoui committed a handball inside the box, allowing the Frenchman to step up and complete his hat-trick, all but ensuring Arsenal's spot in the next round.

Even TV personality Piers Morgan was impressed:

The three-goal lead meant Olympiakos now needed to score three goals themselves without conceding, but the hosts looked positively deflated after Giroud's third, and a comeback never looked likely.

Elabdellaoui tested Cech's reflexes in the final minutes with a looping header, but that was about the only real chance the Greeks could muster before the final whistle.

Arsenal looked far from their best during the group stages of this year's Champions League, but once again, the Gunners qualified for the round of 16. Given their wealth of European experience, they'll be one of the clubs the top seeds will hope to avoid at all cost in the next round.

Post-Match Reaction

Manager Arsene Wenger was full of praise for Giroud after the match, via Arsenal's official Twitter account:

He didn't just single out Giroud, however, but praised the entire squad:

Follow @ReverschPass