AEK Stroll, PAO Hit Rock Bottom, OLY/PAOK Held
(Matchday 3 Recap)
GREEK SUPERLEAGUE - MATCHDAY 3
| Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9-Sep-17 | Asteras Tripolis | 1 - 3 | Lamia |
| 9-Sep-17 | Atromitos | 0 - 0 | PAS Giannina |
| 9-Sep-17 | Xanthi | 1 - 1 | Olympiacos |
| 10-Sep-17 | Panionios | 1 - 1 | Panetolikos |
| 10-Sep-17 | Levadiakos | 1 - 1 | Platanias |
| 10-Sep-17 | AEK | 4 - 0 | Larissa |
| 10-Sep-17 | Kerkyra | 1 - 0 | Panathinaikos |
| 11-Sep-17 | Apollon Smyrnis | 0 - 0 | PAOK |
AGONAsport’s George Tsitsonis brings you a full recap of matchday 3 action in the Greek SuperLeague. For all the latest fixtures and result visit here. For the the up to date Supereague standings visit here.
Olympiacos dropped their first points of the season this weekend as their fellow title challengers reached them on 7 points at the top of the table. Besnik Hasi’s men were held to a 1-1 draw in Xanthi as Bjorn Engel’s debut goal was cancelled out a Christos Lisgaras header just before halftime.
AEK rolled past Larisa in style 4-0 at the Olympic Stadium. It was a comprehensive win for the Kitrinomavri that saw Petros Mantalos score an astonishing early strike to set the tone.
PAOK stumbled for another matchday as they could only manage a 0-0 draw away to Apollon Smyrni. Even though Apollon was playing with 10 men from the 32nd minute due to Axel Juarez’s red card, PAOK could not find the breakthrough as Diego Biseswar and Robert Mak hit the post for the visitors.
Panionios took the lead through a Masoud Shojaei 56th-minute penalty only to end up drawing 1-1 at home against Panetolikos who drew level 11 minutes later through Diego Lopes’ goal.
Panathinaikos continue to struggle mightily as they lost away to Kerkyra. The home side scoring just inside 20 minutes thanks to a Denis Epstein spot-kick.
Lamia celebrated their first ever win in the top division with a 3-1 win away to Asteras Tripolis. Suleiman Omo, Piti, and Wanderson getting the goals in the team’s historic victory. Asteras could only pull one back at the end through Triantafyllos Pasalidis.
Two draws rounded out the Matchday 3 program. In a highly forgettable affair on Saturday, Atromitos and PAS Giannina stayed deadlocked at 0-0 while a day later Levadiakos scored a late leveller thanks to Pavlos Mitropoulos’ header in a 1-1 home draw with Platanias. The Cretans had taken the lead 12 minutes after the break from Yevhen Budnik’s strike.
Matchday MVP - Petros Mantalos
AEK’s playmaker had a match to remember and not only for the absolutely wonderful goal he scored. Mantalos was at the center of everything good that AEK did in their dismantling of Larisa. Performances like this from the Greek international could keep AEK on track to seriously challenge for honors this season.
Goal of the Matchday
It absolutely has to be Mantalos’ wonder-strike just four minutes in against Larisa. Right-back Michalis Bakakis delivered a pinpoint cross from the flank and Mantalos provided a fantastic over-head kick to give AEK the early lead. A fine acrobatic strike that is certainly a goal of the season candidate.
Save of the Matchday
Odisseas Vlachodimos’ one-on-one save against Denis Epstein in the 52nd minute of Kerkyra-Panathinaikos takes the cake. The young keeper was quick to come off his line to deny the hosts the chance to go up 2-0. Unfortunately, it didn’t matter in the end as the Prasini could not force at least an equalizer.
Play of the Matchday
AEK take home another award this week with a fantastic team goal. The Kitrinomavri’s second of the night against Larisa was a well-executed effort with a touch of brilliance. Mantalos’ chipped ball into the box found Marko Livaja who managed a wonderful first touch and then slipped past his defender to give Viktor Klonaridis an easy empty-net tap in.
Team Performance of the Matchday
AEK impressed against Larisa, but this weekend’s nod goes to Lamia. The club managed to pick up the first top-flight win in their entire history in the 3-1 away win to Asteras Tripolis. Babis Tennes’ side bossed the match against Asteras and were full value for their win. With four points from three matches, it’s been a positive start for the promoted side.
Surprise of the Matchday
After a poor start to the season for Panathinaikos, it was considered a formality by some that they would bounce to defeat point-less Kerkyra. However, the home side produced a display full of character and while they may have conceded on a couple dangerous occasions they also created chances as well. Alekos Vosniadis will need similar efforts from his men if they are to avoid a fight against the drop.
Disappointment of the Matchday
Panathinaikos are once again the disappointment of the Matchday. It was a positive end to the transfer window for Marinos Ouzounidis, but he watched his side fail to win for the third match in a row. Failure to win at Kerkyra now means that Panathinaikos are the bottom side in the table for the first time in their rich history after three matches.
