UPDATE 1-Soccer-Standard Liege sink Olympiakos to stay in hunt

(Adds details, quotes)

By Francois Lenoir

LIEGE, Belgium, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Standard Liege kept alive
their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League knockout
round after a goal in each half gave the Belgian side a 2-0
Group H win against Olympiakos Piraeus on Wednesday.

Dieudonne Mbokani fired the ball home from a tight angle in
the 30th minute after Olympiakos defender Olof Melberg failed to
clear a seemingly harmless through-ball.

As the visitors searched for an equaliser, Milan Jovanovic
pounced to double his side's lead with a simple header three
minutes from time.

Liege's victory leaves them two points behind second-placed
Olympiakos on four points. Arsenal top the group with two rounds
of games remaining on 10 points after beating Dutch side AZ
Alkmaar 4-1.

"We knew we needed this win to keep our European football
hopes alive and Belgium's European football hopes alive," Liege
goalkeeper Sinan Bolat.

"We have been unlucky up to now and we knew we could win
this game if we played as well as we have been doing, but got a
bit of luck as well."

Bolat had little to do between the posts for Liege in a
tight game and his defence stood firm, blocking out most of the
attacking opportunities created by the visitors who lost the
influential winger just before halftime through injury.

Liege always looked the more likely to extend their first
half lead rather than conceding an equaliser and went close from
a couple of corner kicks in the second half.

But Mbokani failed to capitalise on the chances until
Jovanovic finally headed home late in the game to ease the home
side's nerves.
(Writing by Darren Ennis; editing by Pritha Sarkar)