Watched by Manchester United’s coaching team of David Moyes and Phil Neville, Olympiakos beat Panionios 2-0 this week to retain its perfect record at home after 12 games and keep its distance from second-placed PAOK at 14 points.
Moyes and Neville were keen to size up Olympiakos before their match on February 25 in Piraeus, hoping to get a competitive edge on the league leaders. Olympiakos travels to Manchester on the return leg on March 19.
The Reds need 20 points from the 11 games left to clinch the title mathematically, after Andreas Samaris and Marco Scepovic scored in the first half in a rather quiet game for the host.
During the game at the Georgios Karaiskakis, Olympiakos announced (via the stadium’s speakers) the signing of its Spanish goalkeeper Roberto until 2018, who until now played for the Reds on loan from Atletico Madrid.
They take on the underperforming Veria on Sunday in their next league game.
The midweek set of fixtures saw one more loss for Panathinaikos and another managerial casualty in the Super League.
PAOK recovered from its loss at Platanias on Sunday to thrash hapless OFI Crete 5-0 at home, with new signings Bibras Natkho, Danny Hoesen and
Hedwiges Maduro on the scoresheet alongside Stefanos Athanasiadis and Dimitris Salpingidis. The second on the ladder will take on rivals Panathinaikos on Monday in a blockbuster fixture.
Atromitos, in third, defeated 10-man Kalloni Lesvou 2-0 at home, while Asteras Tripolis leapfrogged over Panathinaikos, beating the 1971 Champions Cup finalist 1-0. Both winners, Antromitos and Asteras Tripolis will meet on Monday to contest fourth and third position.
The most impressive win of the week came from PAS Giannina, as the Epirus team produced a stunning show at Xanthi to win 3-0 and register its first away
victory this season. The result also brought the departure of German coach Reiner Maurer and his replacement with Yiannis Kehayias, for the latter’s fourth
stint on the Xanthi bench.
In other games, Apollon snatched a 1-1 draw at Levadiakos through a last-minute equaliser by former Newcastle United midfielder Darren Ambrose, Panthrakikos stayed sixth downing Platanias 1-0 at home, and Ergotelis saw off struggling Veria 2-0 on Crete.
Source: Kathimerini
