Sports globe (March 9, 1999)

Sinisa Gogic (right) and Deschamps (Juventus)

Football players of the coach Dusan Bajevic's Olympiakos have, after a minimal defeat (1:2) from Juventus in Torino, gained big chances to place in European Champion League semi-finals after the return match.

Defeat from the Italian team was greeted in Greece as a large success of "red and white jerseys" from Piraeus and there is an undivided opinion that Bajevic's players will achieve the historical reach. Also in the local championship Olympiakos had a significant advantage regarding the closest following teams. According to present situation, it's difficult to believe that somebody is going to prevent them to win the title of the Greek champion for the third time in a row.

Yugoslav internationals are rather meritorious for the successes of Olympiakos - Ilija Ivic is the best shooter in the club, although he didn't take part in all matches, while Gogic and Djordjevic are for some time now the irreplaceable members of the champion team.

Dragan Tarlac

At the same time, Dusan Ivkovic has, at the head of basketball team Olympiakos, in two matches very convincingly eliminated Italian Varese in the European League and has opened the way to Final Four, this year in Munich. As the most significant matches are getting closer, Olympiakos is playing better and better, thanks to Yugoslav coach, famous for timing his team's bomb at the right time. Team's main advantage is that it has eight to nine equally qualitative players, that could decide the game, and among them are also Yugoslav basketball aces Tarlac, Tomic and Vukcevic.

Volleyball players of Olympiakos, with Yugoslav national team coach Zoran Gajic, are currently at the first place on the national championship, while Nikola Stamenic is a little less successful - his Olympiakos water polo team is at the second position on the Greek championship.