Olympiacos F.C. 3-4 Real Madrid: Post-match review, Stats, Key moments

Dive into Ladbrokes’ post-match review of Olympiacos F.C. 3-4 Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday, 26 November 2025, with stats, key moments and our take on the match.

Olympiacos took an early lead when Chiquinho scored in the 8th minute, but Real Madrid responded emphatically with Kylian Mbappe netting a hat-trick in quick succession at 22’, 24’, and 29’ to turn the game around.

A substitution saw Chiquinho replaced by Mehdi Taremi at 28’, and Francisco Ortega picked up a yellow card for Olympiacos at 40’. At half-time, both teams made changes, with Santiago Hezze coming on for David Garcia for Olympiacos and Dani Ceballos replacing Eduardo Camavinga for Real Madrid.

The second half saw Taremi pull one back for Olympiacos in the 52nd minute, but Mbappe added his fourth at 60’ to restore Madrid’s two-goal cushion, shortly after Arda Guler’s yellow card at 56’. Substitutions continued, with Jude Bellingham replacing Guler at 61’ for Madrid, and Olympiacos bringing on Gianluca Biancone for Lorenzo Pirola at 62’, followed by Gustavo Strefezza and Costinha replacing Daniel Podence and Rodinei at 71’. Ayoub El Kaabi scored late for Olympiacos at 81’, but Madrid held on despite further changes, including Brahim Diaz for Raul Asencio at 73’ and Fran Garcia for Vinicius Junior at 90’.

Real Madrid dominated possession with 59% compared to Olympiacos’ 41%, which allowed them to control the tempo and create more scoring opportunities, reflected in their 5 corners against 3. Olympiacos edged successful dribbles at 69 to 50, suggesting they were more effective in individual battles, but Madrid’s 4 assists to Olympiacos’ 3 underlined better team play in the final third, contributing to their goal tally.

Cards were light with Olympiacos receiving 1 yellow and Madrid 2, while both sides used most of their substitutions—Olympiacos making 5 changes and Madrid 4—to adjust tactics, though no penalties or injury-time goals were recorded to swing the result further.

These stats highlight Madrid’s efficiency in converting possession into goals, despite Olympiacos’ dribbling threat. The substitutions, such as Taremi coming on for Chiquinho at 28’ and Bellingham replacing Guler at 61’, helped maintain momentum without leading to dramatic shifts in the pattern of play.

The match’s decisive moments revolved around Mbappe’s rapid first-half hat-trick at 22’, 24’, and 29’, assisted by Vinicius Junior, Arda Guler, and Eduardo Camavinga, respectively, which cancelled out Olympiacos’ early 8th-minute opener from Chiquinho, assisted by Ayoub El Kaabi. A key turning point came post-half-time with Taremi’s 52nd-minute goal, assisted by Santiago Hezze, briefly reigniting Olympiacos’ hopes, but Mbappe’s fourth at 60’, again assisted by Vinicius Junior, proved the killer blow.

Late drama included El Kaabi’s 81st-minute strike, assisted by Gustavo Strefezza. Yet, Madrid survived, aided by a disallowed offside goal from Vinicius Junior at 32’ and tactical substitutions like Hezze replacing David Garcia at 46’ and Bellingham coming on for Guler at 61’.

Yellow cards to Camavinga at 23’ and Guler at 56’ for Madrid, plus Ortega’s at 40’ for Olympiacos, added tension without escalating to reds. At the same time, substitutions such as Taremi for Chiquinho at 28’ and Biancone for Lorenzo Pirola at 62’ influenced the flow but couldn’t overturn Madrid’s lead.

Olympiacos lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Ayoub El Kaabi leading the line effectively as the focal point, supported by creative partnerships like Chiquinho and Gustavo Strefezza in attacking roles before substitutions saw Taremi and others rotate in.

Real Madrid deployed a 4-2-3-1 shape, relying on Kylian Mbappe’s central striking threat, bolstered by dynamic wide contributions from Vinicius Junior and midfield control from Eduardo Camavinga and Arda Guler until changes brought in Jude Bellingham and others.

Kylian Mbappe earned Man of the Match honours with a stunning four-goal haul, including a first-half hat-trick that dismantled Olympiacos’ defence and secured the win for Real Madrid, his clinical finishing and assists involvement proving unstoppable throughout.

Recent Champions League matches:

• Loss: 3-4 vs Real Madrid (H)
• Draw: 1-1 vs PSV (H)
• Loss: 1-6 vs FC Barcelona (A)
• Loss: 0-2 vs Arsenal (A)
• Draw: 0-0 vs Pafos FC (H)

Recent Champions League matches:

• Win: 4-3 vs Olympiacos F.C. (A)
• Loss: 0-1 vs Liverpool (A)
• Win: 1-0 vs Juventus (H)
• Win: 5-0 vs Kairat (A)
• Win: 2-1 vs Olympique Marseille (H)

Olympiacos will need to regroup after this narrow defeat, where they showed resilience in scoring three but couldn’t contain Madrid’s attack; they’ll aim to tighten up defensively in their next fixture to build momentum.

Real Madrid can build on this hard-fought victory, driven by Mbappe’s brilliance, as they maintain strong form; their next match offers a chance to extend the winning run with similar possession dominance.

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Odds and market details are accurate as of the time of publication.