Live Commentary: Olympiacos 2-1 Arsenal - as it happened

Arsenal travelled to Olympiacos this evening knowing that they could still top Group B of this year's Champions League.

The Gunners simply had to better Schalke's result in Montpellier to perhaps ensure a more favourable draw for the last 16 but they were downed 2-1 by the Greek leaders in Athens.

Arsene Wenger's men took the lead through Tomas Rosicky but were pegged back in the second half by Giannis Maniatis before substitute Kostas Mitroglou scored with virtually his first touch.

Read our minute-by-minute coverage below.

9.40pmThanks for joining Sports Mole this evening. Make sure you stay on the site throughout the night for plenty of reaction to the evening's matches. We'll see you tomorrow for another night of Champions League action. Good night.

9.37pmClick here to read our full match report on tonight's game in Athens.

9.36pmA disappointing end to the group stage for Arsenal then. A win tonight would have seen them top Group B because Schalke could only manage a draw in Montpellier.

FULL-TIMEOlympiacos 2-1 Arsenal

90+2 minLate caution for Chamakh for a deliberate handball.

90 minTwo minutes added on.

9.29pmJust as I say that, Real Madrid regain their three-goal advantage over Ajax as Callejon heads in his second.

9.28pmNo late goals in any of the other games yet.

83 minSubstitution for the Gunners and young Meade is replaced by the even younger Martin Angha.

83 minOxlade-Chamberlain receives the ball in the box and drives to the touchline before crossing but no-one's there.

82 minFinal substitution for Olympiacos as Ariel Ibagaza comes on for Djebbour.

77 minGervinho goes down under challenge and wants a penalty but referee Del Palomar isn't interested.

77 minI mentioned beforehand that it seemed strange for Leonardo Jardim to leave his star man on the bench and Mitroglou has shown instantly what he's all about. Fab goal.

73 minWhat an impact! The Greek international turns inside and unleashes a curling effort that fizzes once off the turf into the far corner. Szczesny seemed unsure of fully diving for it and has ultimately paid the price.

73 minGOAL! OLYMPIACOS TAKE THE LEAD! MITROGLOU STRAIGHT AWAY!

9.13pmWith so many goals going in I forgot to mention that PSG have retaken the lead against Porto and are now headed for top spot in Group A.

72 minChange for Olympiacos as Abdoun comes off for goal machine Kostas Mitroglou, who has netted three times in this year's competition.

70 minWHAT A MISS! Djebbour is picked out at the back post and all he has to do is get his diving header on target but he somehow nods wide.

69 minWith both games in Group B at 1-1, Schalke are now on course to top the group.

68 minSilly, silly goal for the Gunners to give away. Ramsey tried to chest down inside the six-yard box but presented it straight to Maniatis.

64 minOut of nowhere, Olympiacos are level. Some hesitant defending from the Gunners allows Maniatis to poke home from just a couple of yards out.

64 minGOAL! OLYMPIACOS EQUALISE! MANIATIS!

9.03pmGOAL for Montpellier! The French side equalise and that's great news for Arsenal.

61 minCHANCE! Arsenal outnumber the hosts and eventually Arshavin is found with time to take a touch and lash goalwards. Carroll makes a cracking save to keep it out.

9.01pmGoals in Dortmund and Madrid! Borussia have the lead against City while Ajax have pulled one back against Madrid.

60 minSub for Olympiacos as David Fuster replaces Fejsa.

8.58pmGOAL for Schalke! Benedikt Howedes scores for the Germans in Montpellier and that means that Arsenal cannot top the group as things stand.

56 minChance of an opening for the hosts but Abdoun overhits his pass to Greco.

54 minBooking for Coquelin for a trip on Greco.

53 minArsenal break down the right through Chamakh. The Moroccan picks out an unmarked Arshavin at the back post but the little Russian can't leap high enough to keep his header down.

8.50pmGoal in Madrid! Real have gone three up against Ajax through Kaka. The Brazilian drives at the Dutch defence and curls home a gem with his left.

46 minThe second half is underway.

8.45pmHalf-time substitution for Arsenal and Andrey Arshavin is on for goalscorer Rosicky. I presume there's an injury of some sort.

8.36pmClick here to read my colleague Liam Power's half-time report of the action in Athens.

8.32pmThe Gunners hold a slender lead thanks to Rosicky's crisp 38th-minute finish. Wenger's men have had the better of the chances but don't bet against them conceding. As it stands, Arsenal will go through as group winners because Schalke are being held 0-0 in Montpellier.

HALF-TIMEOlympiacos 0-1 Arsenal

40 minOlympiacos almost equalise straight away as Paulo Machado is found in acres of room in the area but he can't quite pick out a teammate in the box.

38 minThe Gunners pressure finally pays off as Gervinho gets to the byline, cuts back and then squares to the onrushing Rosicky. The Czech midfielder takes it on first time and finds the far corner of Carroll's net.

38 minGOAL! ARSENAL LEAD! ROSICKY!

37 minGervinho breaks clear and should feed Chamakh but he holds on for too long and is dispossessed by Manolas. Arsenal have been very wasteful in the attacking third so far.

8.20pmGoals in Italy and France! Porto level in Paris almost instantly through Jackson Martinez while Zenit have the lead against AC Milan, Danny the scorer.

34 minThe impressive Abdoun squeezes a cross through a dangerous area but there's no red-and-white shirts there to tap home.

33 minRamsey dilly-dallies in the box when he should have found one of a number of teammates waiting for a pass.

8.16pmGoal in Paris! PSG have the lead in the crucial Group A clash as Thiago Silva heads home.

8.14pmGoal in Madrid and Real have doubled their lead. Jose Callejon collects a fabulous Luka Modric pass, controls and volleys in off the post.

24 minCHANCE! Abdoun makes a clever run and then is found with time to shoot but Szczesny beats away. From the resulting corner Djebbour flicks a header goalwards and it's held by Szczesny.

8.08pmClick here to read more about the snowfall in the Croatian capital.

20 minOFF THE LINE! An Olympiacos corner finds Torosidis at the back post and his header is hacked away by Coquelin.

17 minCHANCE! What a chance for Arsenal. Oxlade-Chamberlain's cross to the back post is headed back across goal by Chamakh. The ball eventually breaks loose for Ramsey but his left-foot shot is completely fluffed and Olympiacos clear.

8.01pmStrange scenes in Zagreb as the referee takes the players off the pitch because of heavy snow.

15 minRosicky appears to be hauled down on the edge of the area but referee Del Palomar says no.

7.58pmGoal in Madrid! Real have taken the lead against Ajax and it's that man Cristiano Ronaldo.

11 minCHANCE! Abdoun is given plenty of space to break into the area and he looks to find Djebbour with a cutback but Vermaelen does superbly to clear it out.

10 minSquillaci gives away a needless corner by heading out.

7 minCHANCE! Arsenal break clear and Gervinho feeds Chamakh but he's dispossessed before shooting. The Gunners get the ball back and find Oxlade-Chamberlain but his cross-shot fizzes through an empty penalty area.

6 minFirst Olympiacos shot comes from Abdoun but it's blocked on its way through and dribbles to Szczesny.

4 minArsenal are playing in their purple tops and black shorts while the hosts are sporting their home strip of red-and-white stripe tops and red shorts.

2 minArsenal are the first to venture forward and it results in a sliced shot from Gervinho. Encouraging start from the visitors.

KICKOFFArsenal get us underway.

7.40pmArsene Wenger tells ITV Sport: "We want always to give our best and that is what the players will try to do.

"It is a big incentive to do your job well and for us to do our job well we need to finish top of the group.

"Never expect your opponent to give you an easy game, especially in Greece."

7.38pmClick here for Real Madrid vs. Ajax, here for Dortmund vs. City and here for Zenit St Petersburg against AC Milan.

7.35pmTime for me to point you in the direction of our other live commentaries this evening...

7.35pm10 minutes until kickoff.

REFEREE WATCHTonight's man in charge is Roberto Diaz Perez del Palomar from Spain. I'll probably just refer to him as 'the ref'!

7.29pmAlthough Marouane Chamakh is hardly a crowd favourite with the Gunners, he did score the winner for Bordeaux against Olympiacos in the last-16 stage two years ago.

7.24pmTheir top scorer in this year's Champions League, Kostas Mitroglou, has been dropped to the bench tonight. The hosts will look to frontman Rafik Djebbour to get on the scoresheet.

7.21pmThe home side have lost just three times in all competitions this season and are a mighty 10 points clear in the Greek top flight.

7.18pmPerhaps the only familiar name to fans of the Premier League is former Manchester United stopper Roy Carroll. He is between the sticks for the Greek side.

7.17pmBack to the game in the Greek capital. Let's take a look at Arsenal's opponents...

7.13pmIn Group A, there's a huge match in the French capital between Paris Saint-Germain and Porto. The Portuguese side currently lead the way on 13 points, with PSG just a point adrift. That means the galacticos of Ligue 1 have to beat Porto to snatch first place.

7.08pmFrom an English perspective, Manchester City travel to Borussia Dortmund already knowing that they're out of the competition. However, Roberto Mancini's men can still qualify for the Europa League if they beat the Germans and Ajax are downed by Real Madrid.

7.05pmAs always on these European group nights, there are seven other matches taking place and I'll do my best to keep you informed as all the important goals go in.

7.04pmWill they be able to top the group though? Wenger has clearly selected a weaker XI and it's a nothing game for Olympiacos as they have guaranteed third place and a spot in the Europa League. The Greek side cannot catch Arsenal in second place while Montpellier are rooted to the bottom of the table.

7.02pmHowever, Arsenal's qualification means they have now qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League 13 seasons in a row. Only Real Madrid have managed a longer run in the history of the competition.

7.00pmMore bad omens for the Gunners: They have played away at Olympiacos twice before, both times on matchday six and lost both games.

6.58pmDon't be surprised if the Gunners fail to keep a clean sheet tonight though. They have kept out their opponents just once in their last 22 Champions League matches away from home.

6.55pmElsewhere for the visitors, Marouane Chamakh leads the line, with Sebastian Squillaci getting a rare game alongside Thomas Vermaelen at centre-back.

6.51pm"Who is Meade at left-back for Arsenal?" I hear you ask. Well, he is Jernade Meade. A 20-year-old left-back is making his first Arsenal start tonight.

ARSENAL XI:Szczesny; Jenkinson, Squillaci, Vermaelen, Meade; Rosicky, Coquelin; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ramsey, Gervinho; Chamakh

6.46pmEvening folks! Let's get straight to the team news...