WELCOME to Europe. After a domestic tussle and a soulless shell on the edge of Istanbul, this is what playing in continental competition is all about.

But Burnley learnt the hard way that these away legs in hostile atmospheres can sometimes swing away from you, through little fault of your own.

This tie almost certainly turned on Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic’s decision to award a penalty against Ben Gibson for handball when the Clarets were 2-1 down just before the hour mark. A penalty? Maybe. A second booking and a red card, which is what followed? Not a chance.

Two goals behind and down to 10 men Sean Dyche’s side had to dig in. After Chris Wood’s first half away goal they had something to cling to. This is a task at Turf Moor next week as uphill as the walk to the Acropolis, but it’s doable.

Dyche will tell you that. It’s a walk he made in the hours before kick-off to see Athens most famous sight for himself. In a city so steeped in history that you can’t look up without seeing the Acropolis and being reminded of it, having to wait 51 years for something probably doesn’t seem such a big deal.

Don’t tell the Clarets that though, back in Europe for the first time in half a century. Over 1,000 travelling fans had turned the centre of Athens into a sea of Claret and Blue. They were loving every minute of this, until Vincic dished out some rough justice that even Athens’ ancient law courts might have winced at.

Burnley had passed their first test of character at the Karaiskakis Stadium early on. The Olympiakos ultras were making some incredible noise behind the goal and as the Clarets returned to the dressing room after the warm-ups, most of them took a final look at what was coming their way in 15 minutes time.

They were ready for it and started well, but Tom Heaton’s first action was picking Kostas Fortounis’ 25-yard free-kick out of the back of his net after it had beaten his despairing dive.

For 10 minutes the Clarets were now under pressure, but they rarely fail a test of character.

Back they came. Wood hooked a volley over and then when a ball broke on the left edge of the area he got his body in front of Mohamed Camara, took the contact and won the penalty.

It came two minutes after Vincic had turned down an Olympiakos penalty appeal when Kevin Long leaned in to Daniel Podence.

With the Karaiskakis Stadium frothing in anger Wood kept his nerve to draw Burnley level. Now the Clarets were in command, Wood glanced a header wide after wonderful wing play from Johann Berg Gudmundsson before Phil Bardsley’s cross was cut out just before Ashley Barnes, a one-man whirlwind giving the Olympiakos defenders all kinds of headaches, could apply the finishing touch.

Vincic was standing strong in the face of remarkable discontent from Olympiakos players and fans, for now, and when an appeal for handball against Stephen Ward was turned down just before half-time it threatened to boil over.

The complaints were forgotten within minutes of the restart. Vincic awarded Olympiakos a free-kick and booked Gibson for stopping Fortounis in his tracks on the right edge of the box and Kevin Long for kicking the ball away.

The punishment would be a triple one. Fortounis curled the free-kick in and Andreas Bouchalakis glanced it into the far corner.

Olympiakos’ first half complaints to Vincic would be rewarded just before the hour. Camara’s shot hit Gibson in the chest and bounced up on to his arm, which was next to his body. Vincic pointed to the spot and then showed Gibson a second yellow card, to the stunned amazement of every Burnley player on the pitch.

After Fortounis converted from 12 yards it about hanging on, which the Clarets did. This tie is still alive, but 11 Clarets will have to become Greek gods for a night next week to overturn the deficit.

Burnley: Tom Heaton 6, Phil Bardsley 6, Kevin Long 8, Ben Gibson 6, Stephen Ward 6 (Aaron Lennon 66), Johann Berg Gudmundsson 7 (Sam Vokes 76), Jack Cork 7, Jeff Hendrick 6, Charlie Taylor 7, Ashley Barnes 7, Chris Wood 7 (James Tarkowski 62)

Subs not used: Joe Hart, Matt Lowton, Ashley Westwood, Matej Vydra

Olympiakos: Andreas Gianniotis, Omar Elabdellaoui, Roderick Miranda, Jagoš Vuković, Kostas Tsimikas, Mady Camara, Andreas Bouchalakis, Daniel Podence, Kostas Fortounis (Giannis Fetfatzidis 89), Lazaros Christodoulopoulos (Karim Ansarifard 84), Miguel Ángel Guerrero

Subs not used: Lefteris Choutesiotis, Bibras Natcho, Marious Vrousai, Vasilis Torosidis, Pape Abou Cisse