Fortounis’ first 45 minutes after his injury

On June 26, 2021, Olympiakos faced Wolfsberger in their first friendly on Austrian soil. In an unsuspecting phase, Costas Fortounis felt uneasy after a clumsy pressing and a substitution was made in the 26th minute. A day later, the evil manta rays came. The 29-year-old midfielder suffered a cruciate ligament tear in his left knee.

Fortounis struggled with a serious injury again in his career. But he proved again that he is a fighter. Months passed and the Olympiacos player worked towards his return. After about seven and a half months, he returned to the pitch and played his first official game of the season.

Costas Fortounis played a key role in Olympiakos B’ game against Trikala for Super League 2, the first step towards his eventual return to the first team is a fact.

Active from the first minutes

Costas Fortounis played 45 minutes in what was admittedly a tough game. Trikala is fighting to save them, so despite losing 2-0, they didn’t take the game for granted. So of course the 29-year-old hasn’t put his feet in the fire as far as marking goes as he’s not 100% ready. However, in the first few minutes of his return, he showed an appetite.

From the first minutes, Fortounis was quite active. When Trikala had the ball, I made sure he pushed up along with Pinakas to take advantage of a mistake in the visitors’ defence. At the same time, his young teammates looked for him several times to share the game with him.

There were many times when he came down to retrieve the ball while sometimes playing at the same height as his forward Olympiakos B’, especially when the Red and Whites were pressing. On two or three occasions he would feed his teammates on the opposite side and open the game for his team.

In fact, Fortounis had Olympiakos B”s first good moment in the 19th minute. He made the play from outside the box, with the Trikala keeper blocking, drawing applause from the stands. At the same time, he showed himself “part” of the rest of the team and not out of place, although it was only his first few minutes in the second team of the red and white. He was disappointed when Piraeus lost the ball and constantly tried to encourage his team’s game.

The target was exactly what was needed

Fortounis’ return involved a goal. In the 23rd minute, Fortounis took advantage of the Trikala defender’s poor control, stepping into the penalty area after a pass from the keeper and putting Olympiakos B’ 1-0 up with a place, a test of his class.

His teammates gave him a hug and he then dedicated that goal to his wife and child who were standing in the Rentis stands. A step that is by no means accidental, which was revealed in his statements in October: “When I got injured for the second time, I was definitely very disappointed because it was in a short period of time. However, the birth of my child came and completely changed my mind. Here’s how to train. I have set myself a goal. Watching me play football and being the way I used to be. I want to be successful.”

This is an important goal for Costas Fortounis. A goal that will boost his morale even further in view of his return to the first team. It was just what he needed to give him more…time for the sequel.