Zico heaves sigh of relief as Olympiakos enter knockout stage

Athens: Olympiakos advanced to the knockout stage of the Champions League on Wednesday, beating Arsenal 1-0 after Leonardo's second-half goal.

Leonardo scored in the 47th minute by firing through the legs of goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski after outrunning the defence.

Arsenal topped the group with 13 points, three more than Olympiakos. Standard Liege drew 1-1 with AZ Alkmaar to come third with five points, one more than AZ.

"We played really well tonight and we deserved to win," Olympiakos coach Zico said.

"Of course, I'm very happy that we're through. The players, helped by the fans, really wanted the win and were always looking for the goal."

He said he was relieved to advance after the team suffered a string of high-profile injuries.

"We've made it to the last 16," he said. "Let's see if we'll make it to the last eight. Our opponents should not see us an easy target — they would be making a mistake."

Zico said he was hoping to sign four players, including two strikers, for next year but played down rumours that Brazil star Adriano was a transfer target.

"Many teams would like Adriano," he said. "But he left Italy to be close to his family."