Olympiacos F.C. drew 0-0 against NEC Nijmegen in the first leg of the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. The crowd was slightly displeased at the final whistle.

So, Olympiacos and NEC share a point in the first leg of the third qualifying round of the Champions League. The Red and Whites will go for the victory and qualification in the Netherlands.

With the final whistle, the crowd gave a lukewarm response, but many cheered for head coach Jose Luis Mendilibar's team to qualify.

During his postgame interview, Mendilibar emphasised what his players lacked to secure the victory and the lead in the qualification race.

"It was really something we didn't expect. We were saying yesterday in training that this team hasn't scored in a while, and we were discussing who would score. It was a strange game with a lot of one-on-ones. They were better in that part, and they beat us. They were more aggressive, faster. We had a hard time creating. In that sense, they were better," he said about the match.

On what was missing, he added: "It was a game where we were missing a lot of things. We should have been more aggressive, tougher in the duels, and smarter about how to manage the referee. He was a referee whom we understood from the beginning wouldn't give many fouls. We had to adapt. We didn't adapt to the opponent; he was more dynamic and tough."

"We don't know if the game will be similar. We will have to be different and improve a lot of things. Because we weren't good today, 0-0 is not a bad result. We will expect the same game from them; qualification is open," Mendilibar said about what awaits them in the second leg in the Netherlands.

Forward Jota Silva also spoke to the media after the match and expressed his disappointment at not scoring.

"The taste is bitter because we wanted to start the year with a win at home. We have the second match in the Netherlands, and we will use all our strength to get the result that will give us qualification," the Portuguese said.

On his debut, he added: "I'm very happy with my debut. I'm sad because we tried to score in front of our fans. We gave everything. We will do everything to score in the second game."

Olympiacos finished with 54% possession, while NEC had 46%.

The Greek side recorded 0.62 expected goals, compared to 1.32 for the Dutch club.

Mendilibar's team registered 12 shots in total, including 5 on target, while the visitors finished with 13 shots in total, 4 on target.

Even so, the Red and Whites did not create a single big chance, while NEC created one.

Olympiacos completed 265 passes with 67% success, while the Eredivisie side completed 255 with 73% success.

The Greek club also won five corner kicks, while NEC had just two.