Olympiacos coach Pedro Martins has hailed the tactical discipline his players showed to beat Arsenal at the Emirates on Thursday night.

Arsenal won the first leg 1-0 in Greece and were expected to complete the job at home when Olympiacos visited the Emirates on Thursday night.  

 



But the away side turned the tables on the home side and a Pape Abou Cisse goal in the second half levelled things up for both sides in the last 32 tie.

Arsenal seemed to be on their way to the last 16 when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a brilliant goal in the 113th minute, but Youssef El-Arabi netted the crucial second away goal for Olympiacos in the 119th minute.
 


There was still some late drama left and Aubameyang missed a gaping goal from six yards, which could have won the tie for Arsenal.



Olympiacos progressed to the next round on away goals and Martins admits that it was one of the most famous nights in the club’s history.

He was delighted how his side kept their shape and tactical discipline despite coming under pressure from Arsenal in the game.
 

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“It’s a historic night for Olympiacos”, Martins was quoted as saying by Agonasport.

“We deserved this qualification, not only for these two games against Arsenal but also for our spirited performances in Europe throughout the season regardless of the results. We were determined, we believed we could qualify and we made it.

“Congratulations to my team for the spirit and their tactical discipline. It's normal that we were tired in extra time.

“Arsenal obliged us to work hard but we never lost our shape and played intelligently.

“The aim is just to carry on in this competition."

Arsenal now have only one route to next season’s Champions League, via the top four in the Premier League, but they are seven points off the pace at the moment.