'Small details' cost Olympiacos dear

Olof Mellberg believes only "small differences" cost Olympiacos FC a place in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals after the Greek titleholders suffered a 3-1 aggregate defeat by FC Girondins de Bordeaux.

Božidar Bandović's men created good chances in both legs only to fall behind on each occasion to Bordeaux's cutting edge from set pieces. Yoann Gourcuff's wonderful strike doubled the French club's overall advantage after just five minutes at the Stade Chaban-Delmas, and the round of 16 tie looked all but over when Matt Derbyshire received a second yellow card on the hour.

Yet the ten men rallied impressively, with substitute Kostas Mitroglou equalising before Alou Diarra's dismissal with more than 20 minutes remaining gave the visitors genuine hope. Ludovic Sané needed to clear Raúl Bravo's shot off the line during a frantic finale that culminated in Marouane Chamakh nodding in an 88th-minute winner.

Mellberg's frustration got the better of him as he became the third player to receive a red card at the very end, although he was keen to focus on the positives. "We were close to coming back," the Sweden defender told UEFA.com. "We're obviously disappointed, but we were disappointed after the first game as well. We could have got more out of both matches. They were both tight and could have gone either way. We don't have any excuses. We know it's the small differences that count over two games."

Having reached the last 16 after starting the season in the third qualifying round, Mellberg felt the Piraeus outfit could be pleased with their performance. "We can take a lot of encouragement," the 32-year-old said. "It's been a long Champions League season and we've done well. We can take a lot of positives from the tournament. We hope to be in it again next season. Experience is important so we need to look forward."

Derbyshire took up that theme after a frustrating evening that included a disallowed goal and his red card. "Playing in the Champions League has been a very positive experience for me," the former Blackburn Rovers FC forward told UEFA.com. "You learn a lot from playing in the competition. Tonight I was sent off and I'll learn from that."

Olympiacos must now focus on domestic matters – and in particular trying to claw back a seven-point deficit on Super League leaders Panathinaikos FC. "We definitely have the spirit to bounce back," Derbyshire added. "We'll do our best to make sure we're in it again next year."