NEC were down a crucial player after midfielder Kodai Sano told manager Dick Schreuder he wouldn't play the first leg against Olympiacos, with the Japanese star set to move to Eredivisie champions PSV. Cape Verde international Jamiro Monteiro took his place in midfield, while Bryan Linssen started as the lone striker. Dusan Tadic started on the bench for NEC, as well as Emre Mor.
The two sides exchanged pinpricks in the opening 45, with Olympiacos testing Gonzalo Crettas through David Carmo and Christos Mouzakitis, and NEC edging closer to a goal via Sami Ouaissa and Noe Lebreton.
It was all NEC to start the second half, with the debutants from Nijmegen piling chance upon chance in the opening 15 minutes. Ouaissa and Monteiro came especially close, but failed to score NEC's maiden UEFA Champions League goal within the hour.
The up-and-down rollercoaster saw NEC, now with Tadic and Mor on the pitch, put pressure on Olympiacos, but the latter got all the minor chances. NEC outdid the Greek hosts in eagerness and threat, but could not reward themselves for a promising outing.
A goalless draw was all Olympiacos and NEC yielded from Tuesday's matchup, giving NEC a slight edge as the UEFA Champions League travels to De Goffert for the first time ever on Tuesday, August 11th.
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