Taremi on debut double in Olympiacos win
Iranian striker Mahdi Taremi got off to a dream start to life in the Olympiacos shirt as he scored twice on his Greek Super League to inspire his team to a 5-0 home victory over Panserraikos.
Introduced as a 69th-minute substitute for Moroccan Ayoub El Kaabi, Taremi, who joined Olympiacos from Inter Milan before the international break, made an instant impact by winning a penalty 13 minutes later, only to see Turkish Yusuf Yazichi denied from the spot by Uruguayan goalkeeper Tinaglini.
However, Taremi opened his Olympiacos account with two minutes left on the clock.
Released behind the backline by Daniel Podence, the Iranian striker rolled the ball past goalkeeper Francisco Tinaglini from the edge of the six-yard box for the home side’s fourth goal of the night at the Karaiskakis Stadium.
Taremi sealed his brace in third minute of stoppage time, heading home Yazichi’s cross into the roof of the net.
El Kaabi, Francisco Ortega, and Podence were also on the scoresheet as Jose Luis Mendilibar’s side moved atop the top-flight table with a perfect record after three rounds of matches.
“This was a fantastic night for me, and I’m delighted that I was able to make our fans happy. That’s what matters most to every player here. I always give my absolute all for the team; I fight for the shirt in every game. Sometimes I score, sometimes I don’t, but I will never stop giving everything until the final whistle,” the Iranian striker said after the game.
The last time Taremi scored more than once in a competitive club game was in May 2023, when he netted four for Porto in a league victory over Famalicão.
Having bagged 91 goals and provided 56 assists in 182 appearances to become Porto’s third all-time top scorer, the 33-year-old Iranian signed for Inter as a free agent last summer but endured a below-par first season in Nerazzurri colors.
Taremi managed only three goals – including double spot-kicks – and nine assists in 43 appearances across all competitions last term, with his sole strike from open play coming in a 3-2 loss to archrival Milan at the Supercoppa Italiana final in January.
Next for Taremi and Olympiacos is a home game against Cypriot champion Pafos in their UEFA Champions League opener on Wednesday.