In Piraeus, where Olympiacos carry Greece into another European autumn, Armando “Hormiga” González announced himself with the kind of debut Mexican players rarely manage on the continent: a goal in his first UEFA appearance.
Armando González joins Mexico’s European debut scorers
The Mexican forward started Olympiacos’ 2026-27 UEFA Europa League league-phase match against Poland’s Jagiellonia Białystok and struck in the 43rd minute. His finish brought the Greek side level at that stage of the game and opened his UEFA scoring account immediately.
González now joins a small group of Mexican footballers who have marked their first outings in either the Champions League or Europa League with a goal.
Quick facts
- Armando González scored in the 43rd minute on his Europa League debut for Olympiacos against Jagiellonia Białystok.
- Santiago Giménez scored two goals on his first Europa League appearance for Feyenoord in 2022.
- Giménez also hit a Champions League double against Lazio in 2023.
- Edson Álvarez scored in Ajax’s 3-0 Champions League group-stage win over Lille in 2019.
- Diego Lainez scored a 90th-minute equaliser for Real Betis against Rennes in 2019.
Santiago Giménez remains the standout case. In September 2022, he came off the bench for Feyenoord against Lazio in Italy and scored twice in his Europa League introduction.
A year later, in October 2023, the striker repeated the feat in the Champions League. His first group-stage match in Europe’s leading club competition also came against Lazio, and again produced two goals.
Edson Álvarez made his own early impact during Ajax’s 2019 campaign. The midfielder had already scored in a qualifying tie against APOEL, before finding the net on his official Champions League group-stage debut against Lille in September.
That goal helped Ajax to a 3-0 victory in Amsterdam and underlined Álvarez’s immediate value after arriving in Dutch football.
Diego Lainez’s European introduction came in more dramatic surroundings. At 18, the Real Betis attacking midfielder scored in the 90th minute against Rennes in February 2019, rescuing a 3-3 draw in France in the first leg of their Europa League round-of-32 tie.
For González, the goal in Greece puts his name alongside players whose first continental nights delivered an instant mark. The harder task now is extending that opening moment across Olympiacos’ Europa League campaign.
SEO Title: Armando González scores on Olympiacos Europa League debut
SEO Description: Armando “Hormiga” González scored for Olympiacos in his first Europa League match, joining Santiago Giménez, Edson Álvarez and Diego Lainez among Mexican debut scorers in UEFA competition.
