In Piraeus, where Olympiacos opened its Europa League league-phase campaign against Jagiellonia Białystok, Armando “Hormiga” González marked a personal continental milestone with a smile before kick-off and a vital goal before half-time.
Key takeaways
- González started Olympiacos’ opening Europa League league-phase match against Polish visitors Jagiellonia Białystok.
- The Mexican forward scored from a corner in the 43rd minute to cancel out Kajetan Szmyt’s earlier opener.
- It was González’s first appearance in a UEFA competition.
- He has begun Olympiacos’ last three matches following Ayoub El Kaabi’s tibia and fibula fracture.
- González is the 32nd Mexican player to feature in the Europa League or its former UEFA Cup format.
A landmark evening in Piraeus
Despite a change in the Olympiacos dugout, González has retained his place in the side for the moment. The former Chivas player has benefited from the serious injury suffered by El Kaabi, whose broken tibia and fibula has opened a route into the starting XI for the Mexican striker.
Wednesday’s match carried greater weight than his previous recent starts. As the teams lined up before the opening whistle, González was shown with his hands held behind his back, smiling while many around him wore more guarded expressions. It was a visible reaction to a first night in UEFA competition.
Jagiellonia struck first on the counterattack, with Szmyt putting the away team ahead in the 20th minute. Olympiacos found their response shortly before the interval: González met a corner to bring the score level in the 43rd minute.
Mexico’s Europa League roll call
González’s debut places him as the 32nd Mexican to have played in the competition when its UEFA Cup history is included. Three Mexicans have been attached to winning campaigns: Hugo Sánchez won with Real Madrid in 1985-86, Nery Castillo lifted the trophy with Shakhtar Donetsk in 2008-09, and Javier Hernández belonged to Sevilla’s 2019-20 title-winning squad, although he did not play during the second half of that season.
- Hugo Sánchez
- Hirving Lozano
- Erick Gutiérrez
- Raúl Jiménez
- Edson Álvarez
- Rafael Márquez
- Luis García
- Jared Borgetti
- Nery Castillo
- Carlos Salcedo
- Francisco Rodríguez
- Manuel Negrete
- Jesús Corona
- Miguel Layún
- Héctor Herrera
- Gerardo Arteaga
- Omar Bravo
- Andrés Guardado
- Diego Lainez
- Pável Pardo
- Ricardo Osorio
- Héctor Moreno
- Diego Reyes
- Giovani dos Santos
- Jonathan dos Santos
- Carlos Vela
- Javier Hernández
- Alan Pulido
- Guillermo Franco
- Efraín Juárez
- Santiago Giménez
- Armando González
SEO Title: Armando González Scores on Europa League Debut for Olympiacos
Meta Description: Armando “Hormiga” González scored for Olympiacos against Jagiellonia Białystok on his first Europa League appearance, becoming the 32nd Mexican to play in the competition.
