Athanasiadis heads PAS to win over Panathinaikos
 

GREEK SUPERLEAGUE - MATCHDAY 20

PAS Giannina eased their relegation worries on Saturday with a vital 1-0 victory over Panathinaikos at the Zosimades Stadium.

Watch LIVE GREEK TV including full GREEK SPORTS coverage from AGONASport.com! 

PAS striker Stefanos Athanasiadis headed home the only goal of the game with 17 minutes left to clinch three crucial points for the home side, with Giorgos Donis’ Panathinaikos putting in a disjointed display after losing two key players to injury early in the first half.

The result lifts Giannis Petrakis’ PAS side seven points clear of the relegation places and up into 12th spot, while Panathinaikos remain unmoved in sixth.

THE MATCH

Panathinaikos came into the match looking for a win to re-establish themselves in the top five, but the match did not start at all well for the Greens.

Inside the first 20 minutes Donis was forced to make two changes due to injuries to players, with

first Ousmane Coulibaly going off to be replaced by Epaminondas Pantelakis in the seventh minute and then Emanuel Insua limping out of proceedings to be replaced by Ilias Chatzitheodoridis.

That upset the visitors’ game plan and it was the home side that looked most dangerous for the remainder of the half, with striker Stefanos Athanasiadis missing a golden chance to score after 34 minutes.

That chance came thanks to a great run and cross by Sandi Krizman, but the unmarked Athanasiadis saw his header saved brilliantly by Sokratis Dioudis in the Panathinaikos goal.

Panathinaikos’ best opening came on the stroke of half-time when Swedish defender Mattias Johansson’s cross-shot flashed across goal with the ball narrowly averting Paschalis Staikos who was waiting for a tap-in.

PAS still remained the team who looked most threatening going forward in the second half, and there was another half chance which went begging in the 63rd minute when Dimitris Manos surged into the box before firing in a shot on goal which was blocked by Dimitris Kolovetsios’ last-ditch challenge.

PAS finally got the goal their play deserved in the 73th minute when Alexandros Nikolias’ cross picked out former PAOK man Athanasiadis, who left Dioudis with no chance to react with a clinical header.

Panathinaikos pushed for an equaliser late on, but their efforts were thwarted when PAS goalkeeper Markos Vellidis parried a Johansson shot for a corner with just two minutes left.

Defender Fanis Mavrommatis had the ball in the net for Panathinaikos in the second minute of added time but the goal was ruled out for offside, before PAS striker Krizman was sent-off for picking up a second yellow card shortly afterwards in a tense finish.

STARTING LINEUPS

PAS Giannina: 39 Veliidis (GK), 44 Skondras, 8, Tzimopoulos, 6 Michail, 2 Boukouvalas, 88 Nikolias, 21 Castro, 7 Giakos, 9 Athanasiadis, 10 Krizman, 27 Manos

Panathinaikos: 1 Dioudis (GK), 24 Mavromatis, 4 Kolovetsios, 78 Coulibaly, 3 Insua, 21 Kourbelis, 6 Staikos, 2 Johansson, 11 Chatzigiovanis, 18 Bouzoukis, 99 Kampetsis

HIGHLIGHTS: PAS GIANNINA - PANATHINAIKOS

by Graham Wood

Image Source: sportfm.gr

Thank you for visiting AGONAsport.com, the only English based website for Greek sports fans across the world! Like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter for all the latest news in Greek Sports!