WINNERS

DIMITRIS SIOVAS
It’s really difficult to distinguish yourself in a league where several of the world’s greatest central defenders (such as Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos) participate. And yet, Greek centre-back Dimitris Siovas seems to be doing pretty well for himself. As suggested by the results of research conducted by the CIES Football Observatory, Siovas currently has the highest percentage of air challenges won in Spain ahead of Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane. He also holds the seventh highest amongst the top five European leagues (Spain, England, France, Italy and Germany). This accomplishment becomes even greater when taking into consideration the fact that the 31-year-old is part of a low-tier club in the Spanish league (CD Leganes).

ELENI KONSTANTINIDI
Greece’s tradition in weight-lifting continues. Twenty-four-year-old Eleni Konstantinidi saw great success in the recent European Championship that was held in Batumi of Georgia. She managed to win two gold and one bronze in the 81 kg category, beginning her attempts from 93 kg and going all the way up to 126, lifting a total of 223 kg. Konstantinidi has steadily been making her way through the ranks and is already seen as one of the greatest athletes in the sport worldwide, so there is definitely more to come from her.

CHRIS IKONOMIDIS
It appears the decision to return to home ground was the right one for Chris Ikonomidis, who helped Perth Glory secure their first ever premiership title in A-League football history. The youngster’s contribution towards the team’s success has been important, as he scored seven crucial goals and created several opportunities in order to help the club secure the advantage towards the play-offs. He has been a key member of manager Tony Popovic’s squad and through the team he managed to find his way back to the national team. The best is still yet to come from him.

SINNERS

PANATHINAIKOS
Considering the club’s financial status and the situation they’ve found themselves in, they’re definitely not expected to win every single game they play. But even for a group of young players coming from the club’s academy, it is to be expected that they can come out and win or at least put up a fight against a team like OFI (no disrespect towards the Cretan club.) What the Panathinaikos players committed on Saturday was not just a simple loss, it was a dark page in the club’s history pages. For any player to be wearing the jersey of such a historic club means to have respect for it and to give 100 per cent of what they have in every single game. The ones that went out on that pitch on Saturday didn’t show that dedication.

KEVIN MUSCAT
The situation at Melbourne Victory has been deteriorating for a while now, and it is blatantly obvious. Not many players are happy there, the climate is shifting and there are no signs that things will get better any time soon. And the one responsible for all this is manager, Kevin Muscat. The team is performing way below the level of its squad depth, yet Muscat doesn’t seem to be capable of changing things or adapting to any different play style. Victory have been using the same formation since the start of the season and it is clearly not working, leading to poor results, unhappy players and a toxic environment. It will be interesting to see how many of the current marquee players will be willing to remain at the club next season.

GREEK HANDBALL TEAM
Greece tried but unfortunately were not able to escape with a good result against Turkey, losing 26-23. This loss means that their hopes of reaching the EURO 2020 finals have been slashed, as they now need a combination of results, including two wins in their last two games against Iceland and Northern Macedonia, in order to reach the tournament. The Greek players performed very well, however it was their own defensive errors that lead to their downfall. Now they will need the “help” of others if they are to make it to the European tournament finals.