In the battle between the competition’s two yellow and black teams, it was Aris that emerged victorious, upsetting AEK in their own backyard and taking their place in third in the process.
The Thessalonians downed Enosi 1-2 on Monday morning (AEST) in the fourth round of the play-offs, jumping two points ahead of both AEK and Panathinaikos in a very competitive race for third position.
Aris forward Luis Palma’s header put his team ahead (20′), though this was cancelled out by defender Lazaros Rota’s incredible effort from range (28′). Midfielder Lucas Sasha’s header restored the lead for the travellers (58′) in what proved to be the winning goal.
Panathinaikos was held to a goalless draw in their away match against Giannina, suffering a casualty in left back Juankar’s late red card (80′) which will suspend him from their next game against fierce rivals, Olympiacos.
Apollon Smyrnis gave renewed hope to their season after earning a fantastic 1-2 away victory over OFI on Sunday morning in the third round of the play-outs, going within two points of second-last Lamia.
Midfielder Fatjon Andoni put the Light Brigade ahead on the verge of half time with a volley from close range (45+3′) before OFI striker Luiz Phellype equalised with a strong finish (70′). Midfielder Vykintas Slivka stepped up to score the match-winning goal for the visitors to give themselves a chance of avoiding straight relegation.
A dominant final 20 minutes saw Volos downed Lamia 3-0 at home, making the Fthiotida side fall firmly in the relegation scrap. Midfielder Julian Bartolio released a powerful volley from inside the box to put the Magnesia club ahead before fellow midfielder Kevin Rosero doubled their lead (90+1), followed by a third from left back Franco Ferrari (90+5′).
Atromitos all but guaranteed they will avoid the drop after a 2-3 win on the road to Panetolikos. The Peristeriotes stunned the hosts with an opening minute goal through midfielder August Erlingmark before the Agrinio side equalised after a VAR-awarded goal for playmaker Jorge Diaz (22′). Winger Juan Muniz put Atromitos back in front with a fantastic long-range strike (28′) but Diaz stepped up again with a second header from a corner (36′). Star marksman Efthymis Koulouris scored a powerful winner which snuck in from a tight angle (72′).
Ionikos defeated Asteras Tripolis 2-3 away to almost confirm their safety from relegation. The Arcadians opened the scoring through midfielder Adrien Riera (5′) before the Nikaia side responded with three goals through Dmytro Chygrynskiy’s corner header (29′) and forward Vasilios Mantzis’ double (41′, 52′). The home side earned a late consolation via a strike from midfielder Juan Munafo (87′).
The PAOK-Olympiacos match was postponed due to PAOK’s Europe Conference League commitments.
Greek Super League Ladder (teams with game in hand in brackets)
Championship Group
1-Olympiacos: 70 (29)
2-PAOK: 59 (29)
5-Aris: 50
4-Panathinaikos: 48
5-AEK: 48
6-PAS Giannina: 42
Relegation Group
1-OFI: 40
2-Asteras Tripolis: 39
3-Volos: 34
4-Ionikos: 33
5-Panetolikos: 32
6-Atromitos: 30
7-Lamia: 21
8-Apollon Smyrnis: 19
Greek Super League upcoming fixtures currently scheduled
Championship Group
Aris-PAOK: Mon 18 Apr
Panathinaikos-Olympiacos: Mon 18 Apr
PAS Giannina-AEK: Tue 19 Apr
Relegation Group
Apollon Smyrnis-Volos: Sat 16 Apr
Panetolikos-Asteras Tripolis: Sun 17 Apr
Atromitos-OFI: Sun 17 Apr
Lamia-Ionikos: Mon 18 Apr
