Olympiacos has taken a huge leap forward in their championship aspirations after defeating PAOK to all but eliminate them from title contention.
The Piraeus club beat the Thessaloniki giants 2-1 at “Georgios Karaiskakis” Stadium on Monday morning (AEDT) in the Greek Super League’s 24th round, with the result setting the visitors 11 points behind first place with just two rounds left in the regular season.
The league leaders opened the scoring in the sixth minute via right back Rodinei, whose curling free kick from the left found its way into the back of the net.
PAOK drew level soon after through midfielder Mady Camara’s headed effort into the top left (24′), though Olympiacos managed to restore their lead seven minutes later through youngster Charalampos Kostoulas.
The 17-year-old’s shot proved to be the difference as Olympiacos extended their lead over PAOK to 11 points, essentially knocking them out of contention for the premiership along with Panathinaikos whose loss saw them fall eight points behind in the title race.
The “Trifylli” suffered an absolute shock defeat to Lamia, losing 3-1 at “Athanasios Diakos” ground in a massive blow to their title aspirations.
The Fthiotida side stunned the hosts with an early goal via midfielder Aaron Tshibola, who headed the ball from close range following a corner kick (4′).
The Greens brought it level in the 72nd minute after a low, powerful strike from winger Filip Djuricic into the bottom left, though Lamia restored their advantage soon after via a strong effort by forward Gustavo Furtado (78′).
Furtado then put the game to bed after converting a penalty in the 90+2nd minute.
There was much frustration in the Greens camp regarding the penalty decision as it came following a contentious incident wherein they thought the ball had gone out the field of play on the right side but was ruled by the refs to still be in play.
Nevertheless, Lamia proved more clinical on the night as they earned their maiden win since the first round of the season to deliver a glimmer of hope in avoiding relegation.
AEK did not fail as they secured a 0-3 away success against Asteras Tripolis to remain just two points behind Olympiacos, adding further intrigue to their high-stakes match with the “red-whites” next week.
Enosi broke through in the 64th minute after winger Mijat Gacinovic and the Arcadians were dealt a further setback after suffering a red card to defender Simon Deli (68′).
AEK capitalised on that by grabbing two more goals through winger Niclas Eliasson (76′) and striker Frantzdy Pierrot (80′) to wrap up the game.
Aris procured an important 2-1 victory over Panetolikos to keep their slim top four hopes alive.
The “yellow-blacks” took the lead in the 13th minute, thanks to their chief goal scorer Loren Moron, with central midfielder Monchu doubling it on the half hour mark.
The Canaries halved the deficit in the 61st minute through Sergio Diaz in what proved to be the final goal of the game, with Aris ensuring their fourth win in their last five outings.
Levadiakos gave their survival chances a major boost with a 1-2 away win over Volos on Sunday morning, scoring in the dying minutes to secure their third straight triumph.
The Magnesia outfit struck first in the 20th minute via winger Lazaros Lamprou, and they held onto the lead until the 81st minute when Levadiakos winger Benjamin Verbic equalised.
The Slovenian then turned provider as his corner delivery found forward Fabricio Pedrozo, who headed the ball home to give the visitors all three points (90+5′).
A strong opening half helped OFI earn a 1-3 away victory against Kallithea as they preserved their spot in the fifth-eighth league spots for another week.
The Cretans opened the scoring in the 28th minute through winger Thiago Nuss which was followed by a second just two minutes later, thanks to marksman Eddie Salcedo.
OFI found one more before the break, this time in the form of an own goal by Miguel Mellado who accidentally put the ball in his own net after attempting to clear a free kick delivery by Borja Gonzalez.
Mellado atoned for his error on the hour mark by scoring in the opposite net, though it proved to be a consolation as Kallithea settled for its fourth defeat in its past five league games.
An 88th minute penalty goal from Denzel Jubitana helped Atromitos seal a 1-0 home success over Panserraikos to remain in the hunt for a finish in the top eight.
Greek Super League Ladder
1-Olympiacos: 54
2-AEK: 52
3-Panathinaikos: 46
4-PAOK: 43
5-Aris: 40
6-Asteras Tripolis: 35
7-OFI: 33
8-Panetolikos: 32
9-Atromitos: 31
10-Levadiakos: 27
11-Panserraikos: 22
12-Volos: 21
13-Kallithea: 18
14-Lamia: 12
