Atromitos see off Slovaks in thriller
 

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - 2ND QUALIFYING ROUND (LEG 2)

Atromitos reached the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round on Thursday thanks to a thrilling 3-2 home win over Dunajska Streda at the Peristeri Municipal Stadium which gave the Athens club a 5-3 aggregate success.

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Goals from defender Alexandros Katranis and forward Giorgos Manousos gave Yiannis Anastasiou’s Atromitos team a comfortable half-time lead, and it looked like there was no way back for their Slovakian opponents.

But a strike from big target man Eric Ramirez early in the second half and a soft penalty from captain Zsolt Kalmár put the visitors right back in contention, and had Atromitos on edge.

But Atromitos’ lanky central defender Spyros Risvanis headed home from talismanic midfielder Javier Umbides’ free-kick to make it 3-2 and win the match and the title for the Super League club.

As a result, Atromitos will now face Polish outfit Legia Warsaw in the third qualifying round, while Dunajska are now out of Europe.

THE MATCH

On paper, it looked like a reasonably simple job for Atromitos following their 2-1 win over Dunajska last week.

And, despite a rollercoaster ride, so it proved also on the pitch in the Athens summer sunshine as the home side’s quality prevailed in the end of a dramatic night of action.

After a couple of wayward half-chances from Manousos, the home side deservedly broke the deadlock after 22 minutes when left-back Katranis picked up possession on the edge of the penalty area after the ball had deflected into his path.

The 21-year-old from Volos showed great skill and turn of pace to skip past a couple of Dunajska challenges before slotting the ball confidently passed Martin Jedlicka in the visiting goal.

That goal seemed to come as a sucker punch for Dunajska, and they found themselves 2-0 behind just eight minutes later when Matej Oravec tripped Manousos in the box and the referee pointed to the spot.

Manousos stepped up to cooly slot home from 12 yards and double the home side’s advantage, making it 4-1 on aggregate and handing Dunajska a virtually impossible task to get back into the tie.

The tempo of the game upped considerably after half-time, with both teams ignoring the high summer Athenian temperatures as they battled it out for the right to stay in the competition.

Dunajska came back in swashbucking style with first Ramirez’s impressive strike giving them hope, and then earning the chance to get on level terms on the night thanks to César Blackman’s direct run into the box which drew a foul from Katranis.

The excellent Swedish referee Mohammed Al-Hakim pointed to the spot and Kalmar slotted home the spot-kick to make it 2-2.

That strike understandably unsettled the home side’s nerves, but all credit must go to Atromitos for the way they held their nerve and set about finishing off the tie.

And they did just that after 76 minutes when Argentine fans favorite Umbides, who was tireless throughout, sent over a perfect free-kick for Risvanis to head past the visiting goalkeeper and send the home fans into ecstasy.

Atromitos missed numerous chances for more goals late on as the game became stretched, and they held firm comfortably at the back to clinch a well-deserved win as they European adventure continues.

STARTING LINEUPS

Atromitos: 16 Megyeri (GK), 3 Katranis, 4 Goutas, 6 Charisis, 8 Umbides ©, 9 Manoussos, 10 Nsikulu, 15 Madson, 19 Kivrakidis, 39 Vellios, 44 Risvanis

Dunajska: 36 Jedlička (GK), 4 Ronan, 8 Vida, 9 Ramirez Matheus, 13 Kalmár ©, 14 Oravec, 19 Taiwo, 24 Kružliak, 26 Koštrna, 45 Čmelík, 82 Blackman Camarena

HIGHLIGHTS: ATROMITOS - DUNAJSKA STREDA

by Graham Wood

Image Source: gazzetta.gr

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