AEL LARISSA 0-4 OLYMPIACOS — GONZÁLEZ, SÁ AND ROCA ALL OPEN THEIR ACCOUNTS | OneFootball

The easiest way to interpret a 4-0 victory over lower-level opposition is to shrug. Olympiacos should win.

They should possess more talent. They should create more chances. And against AEL, they eventually did all of that.

José Luis Mendilibar did not need another 90 minutes proving that his established first XI can beat domestic opposition. He needed information about the rest of the squad. Larissa gave him some.

For a striker entering a new club, the first goal often removes an unnecessary layer of pressure.

González's came from a classic No.9 action. Fortounis delivered from the right and González separated himself from the defensive line before heading home from close range. The HFF specifically noted his movement to escape the defense before finishing.

That is encouraging because it was not a speculative long-range strike or a fortunate rebound.

It demonstrated one of the fundamental qualities Olympiacos bought him for:

penalty-area movement.

For Mendilibar, that provides a different reference point behind or alongside Ayoub El Kaabi.

Olympiacos regularly generate crossing situations.

A striker who consistently finds separation between center-backs can turn that territorial pressure into actual goals.

Gustavo Sá continues to look like a useful multi-role attacker

Sá's goal came almost immediately after halftime. Gelson Martins helped develop the attack, Fortounis' effort kept the move alive, and Sá arrived around the penalty spot to finish. The location matters. Sá is not merely a touchline player.

His ability to arrive centrally gives Olympiacos another attacker who can occupy the space created when the striker pins the center-backs. That is particularly useful when Mendilibar wants his wide players making aggressive interior movements rather than remaining permanently outside the box.

He later contributed to Roca's goal as well. So his evening wasn't simply: one shot, one goal.

He contributed across different phases of the attack.

Joel Roca getting immediate reward is another positive

Roca's goal makes the evening particularly useful from a squad-development perspective. The 21-year-old attacked the left side of the area after Sá's vertical pass and persisted through a deflection before scoring.

Young attacking players benefit enormously from early positive reinforcement.

Mendilibar can now continue integrating him without every appearance being framed around when his first goal will arrive. And the wider winger picture suddenly looks extremely competitive. Olympiacos are still working to complete Leon Bailey and Thiago Nuss.

But Sá and Roca producing simultaneously is a reminder that the club already possesses developing internal options behind the headline acquisitions.

Filis may be the most interesting performance beneath the goals

The Greek reports following the match repeatedly singled out Filis as one of the revelations of the evening. News247 specifically described the youngster as one of the standout discoveries from the rotated team.

That may ultimately prove more useful than beating AEL by four.

Olympiacos' schedule will become increasingly congested once European competition begins.

Every young player Mendilibar can trust for domestic minutes preserves the legs of a senior starter.

That is how Cup fixtures can become strategically important. Not simply by advancing.

By expanding the usable squad.

The first 30 minutes also provide a warning

The final score makes the match look completely effortless. It wasn't immediately. AEL produced a significant opportunity in the 24th minute, when Carmo had to clear Noikokyrakis' effort off the line. That is worth retaining in the analysis.

Olympiacos rotated heavily and initially lacked complete control. Against stronger opposition, one such moment can change an entire game. Once González scored, however, the match moved decisively toward Olympiacos. The second half then showed the depth gap between the teams.

The best result for Mendilibar was not 4-0

It was: four different scorers.

Three of them are players Olympiacos are still integrating. That reduces dependence. Through the first league matches, Olympiacos had won twice by 1-0. The defensive foundation was strong, but attacking output had been much more restrained.

A four-goal Cup performance does not suddenly prove all attacking issues have disappeared. The opposition level has to be respected. But it does give Mendilibar evidence that the second line of the squad contains more goals than the opening league results suggested. That is valuable with Europe approaching.

Fan reaction

The immediate publicly accessible Olympiacos conversation is strongly positive, with the reaction centered less around beating AEL and more around the individual performances.

The most recurring theme is enthusiasm about Armando González scoring his first goal. Supporters have been waiting to see how the Mexican striker's Liga MX production translates into Olympiacos' attacking structure, and opening his account with a traditional center-forward header is viewed as encouraging.

There is also noticeable interest in Gustavo Sá and Joel Roca, because both contributed directly while Olympiacos continue pursuing higher-profile attacking reinforcements.

Another recurring theme is squad depth. The starting XI contained Popović, Koutsogoulas, Smajlović, Filis, Sá and González, yet Olympiacos were still able to pull away comfortably after halftime. That is creating optimism that Mendilibar will be able to rotate heavily in domestic Cup matches without sacrificing competitiveness.

The meaningful dissenting view concerns the opposition and the opening phase of the match. Supporters caution against reading too much into four goals against AEL, particularly because the hosts had the major first-half chance that Carmo cleared off the line. That is a reasonable distinc