BREMEN, Germany (AFP) - Werder Bremen suffered Champions League heart-break on Wednesday night when Greek side Olympiakos fought back late to claim a 3-1 victory at the Weserstadion.

Bremen's Portuguese striker Hugo Almeida had put his side ahead when he converted a first-half cross after 32 minutes, but the Greeks hit back with Ieroklis Stoltidis equalising in the 72nd minute.

The game then turned into a nightmare for the Germans when defender Christos Patsatzoglu smashed home a late shot past Werder's second-choice 'keeper Christian Vander on 82 minutes before striker Darko Kovacevic completed the rout three minutes from time.

"If you don't enter into the fight, you haven't got a chance of winning," said glum Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf after the final whistle.

"Whether that is in the Champions League or grass-roots football, you have to compete and we didn't.

"In the first-half we weren't great, but I was happy we took a 1-0 lead.

"We lost our way, as well as the contest in the second-half, and we paid the price."

With Real Madrid drawing 2-2 with Lazio in Rome on Wednesday night, the result put Olympiakos top of Group C, but leaves Bremen bottom and in desperate need of taking at least a point from their home clash with Lazio on October 24.

The result was a set back for the Germans who have responded with big wins over defending champions VfB Stuttgart (4-1) and Arminia Bielefeld (8-1) in the Bundesliga since their 2-1 Champions League defeat by Real Madrid last month.

They lost both goalkeeper Tim Wiese and top goal-scorer Boubacar Sanogo before kick-off with injury.

Ivory Coast striker Sanogo, who scored twice in Saturday's 8-1 demolition of Bielefeld, has struggled with a hip injury, while Wiese picked up a thigh injury and both players had struggled to train during the week.

Swedish striker Markus Rosenberg replaced Sanogo in the starting line-up while Wiese's place between the sticks went to Vander.

But Bremen welcomed back German midfielder Torsten Frings for his first game of the season since damaging knee ligaments in a summer friendly.

The 30-year-old was greeted to thunderous applause at the Weserstadion.

Striker Hugo Almeida tested the guest's goalkeeper Antonios Nikopolidis after only five minutes, but his shot was blocked.

The home side took the lead on 32 minutes when Danish midfielder Daniel Jensen put in a dangerous cross and Almeida was waiting at the back post to put the home side 1-0 up at the break.

But Olympiakos took the lead through Stoltidis and the Greek's built on their momentum when Almeida's clearance attempt fell to the feet of Patsatzoglu who smashed his shot home.

And Serbian striker Darko Kovacevic added insult with injury time approaching to put the result beyond doubt with the Greek's third goal on 87 minutes.