Real Madrid secured a dramatic 4-3 victory over Olympiacos at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium to claim their fourth win in the opening phase of the Champions League. While Kylian Mbappé stole the headlines with a sensational four-goal haul, the performance of young Turkish star Arda Güler was instrumental, particularly during the critical first-half turnaround.
Xabi Alonso’s side was forced to recover from an early setback after Olympiacos took the lead through Chiquinho’s fierce long-range strike in the eighth minute. The early goal energized the Greek side, who nearly doubled their lead 11 minutes later, only for Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin to pull off a phenomenal save from another powerful Chiquinho effort.
Güler Catalyzes Historic Mbappé Blitz
The response from the visiting Spanish giants was immediate and explosive, culminating in Mbappé scoring the second-fastest Champions League hat-trick in history, achieved in just 6 minutes and 43 seconds.
The key moment arrived when 20-year-old Arda Güler stamped his authority on the match. After Mbappé equalized following a brilliant outside-of-the-boot pass from Vini Jr. in the 22nd minute, Güler swiftly provided the decisive assist for the second goal just two minutes later.
The Turkish playmaker collected the ball and delivered a precise right-footed cross into the box. Mbappé met the delivery with a powerful header, emphatically putting Madrid ahead. The clinical combination demonstrated Güler’s vision and crossing accuracy under pressure, significantly contributing to the 3-1 lead. Mbappé completed his lightning treble shortly after, assisted by Camavinga.
Guler has four goals and nine assists in 24 appearances in all competitins for the Spanish giants this season.
Madrid continued to dominate the ensuing minutes, with Aurélien Tchouaméni seeing a powerful drive crash against the crossbar. Vini Jr. also came close before the break, while Lunin was called upon to make another vital save from an Ayoub El Kaabi header in added time.
Madrid Edges Out Late Fightback
The second half began poorly for Madrid, as Taremi headed home in the 52nd minute to reduce the deficit to 3-2. However, the prolific partnership between Vini Jr. and Mbappé restored the two-goal cushion in the 60th minute, with the Brazilian securing his second assist to allow the French number 10 to slot home his fourth goal of the evening.
Despite the seemingly insurmountable lead, Olympiacos refused to yield, and El Kaabi struck again with a header in the 80th minute to set up a tense finish at 4-3. Xabi Alonso’s men successfully managed the remaining minutes of pressure from the determined Greek side, preserving their narrow lead.
While Mbappé’s goal-scoring heroics will dominate the headlines, Arda Güler’s critical assist and overall bright performance in a high-stakes European environment provided a strong indication of his growing influence and potential as a crucial creative element in this formidable Real Madrid squad.