Dikefaloi Derby set to join list of Greek ‘Civil Wars’ on European Stage

As AEK and PAOK prepare to square-off in the Basketball Champions League, AGONAsport’s Peter Katsiris takes a look at the other all-Greek affairs on the European stage…

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As AEK and PAOK prepare to clash in the Basketball Champions League in an-all Greek Round of 16 showdown, AGONAsport’s Peter Katsiris takes a look back at

One of Greek basketball’s heated rivalries will make its European debut in the Basketball Champions League when AEK and PAOK meet in the Round of 16 in Thessaloniki on Tuesday night.

In the first meeting of a two-legged tie, PAOK will hope to use homecourt advantage in order to upset their Dikefale rivals to the south as AEK look to defend their title as last year’s winners of the Champions League.

While it will be the first time that AEK and PAOK will meet on the European stage, it’s not the first that an all-Greek showdown has stolen the headlines on the European stage. Whether it was in the FIBA Korac Cup, the FIBA EuroLeague, or the modern-day EuroLeague, all-Greek affairs have been somewhat of a regular occurrence since the very first showdown between Panionios and PAOK during the 1993/1994 Korac Cup.

The First ‘Civil War’

In February 1994, PAOK and Panionios clashed in the semifinal of the 1993/1994 Korac Cup. After a tight matchup in Nea Smyrni in the first leg, PAOK prevailed in the second leg at home as the Dikefalos tou Vorra advanced to the Final where the Thessaloniki side beat Stefanel Trieste to capture their first Korac Cup.

1993/94 FIBA Korac Cup - Semifinal

16.02.1994 Panionios - PAOK 83-85

23.02.1994 PAOK - Panionios 82-64

Eternal Derby takes over Europe

The Eternal Derby has been a regular occurrence in recent years after the EuroLeague adopted a regular season format, but the very first showdown between the two archrivals came during the 1994 FIBA European League Final Four. In a one-game showdown, Olympiacos prevailed with a 77-72 win in Tel Aviv, Israel as the Erythrolefki progressed to the Final against 7up Joventut at the expense of their local rivals. Olympiacos would go on to lose in the Final by a narrow 59-57 scoreline to finish in second place, while Panathinaikos beat Barcelona to capture third place.

1993/94 FIBA European League – Semifinal (Tel Aviv)

19.04.1994 Olympiacos - Panathinaikos 77-72

1994/1995: The year of two ‘Civil Wars’

One year later, there was two all-Greek showdowns in the FIBA European League as PAOK and Panathinaikos squared-off in the group stage. On both occasions it was the home team that emerged victorious as Panathinaikos won in the showdown in Athens before PAOK returned the favour in Thessaloniki.

Only Panathinaikos would advance to the knockout stage, however, but the Trifylli again met their match in the semifinals in Zaragoza, Spain when Olympiacos defeated their archrivals 58-52 to progress to the Final against Real Madrid.

It would be agony for Olympiacos in the Final, however, as the Erythrolefki were defeated to finish in second place, while Panathinaikos beat Limoges CSP to capture third place for the second successive season.

1994/95 FIBA European League – Group Phase

08.12.1994 (Matchday 5) Panathinaikos - PAOK 72-63

08.02.1995 (Matchday 12) PAOK - Panathinaikos 80-70

1994/95 FIBA European League – Semifinal (Zaragoza)

11.04.1995 Panathinaikos-Olympiacos 52-58

Olympiacos, Iraklis square-off

Macedonia met Piraeus in the group stage of the FIBA European League during the 1995/1996 group stage as Olympiacos squared-off against Iraklis. Olympiacos emerged victorious on both occasions, but would bow out in the quarterfinal round against Real Madrid; paving the way for Panathinaikos to capture the crown in Paris that season.

1995/96 FIBA European League – Group Phase

13.12.1995 (Matchday 6) Olympiacos - Iraklis 72-62

07.02.1996 (Matchday 13) Iraklis - Olympiacos 63-69

‘Civil Wars’ Everywhere

During the 1996/1997 season there were all-Greek matchups in the quarterfinal of both the FIBA Korac Cup and the FIBA EuroLeague. In the Korac Cup, Aris got the better of Peristeri en route to capturing their first title over Turkey’s Tofas in a two-legged Final.

1996/97 FIBA Korac Cup - Quarterfinals

12.02.1997 Aris - Peristeri 75-65

19.02.1997 Peristeri - Aris 71-64

Meanwhile, in the renamed FIBA EuroLeague, Olympiacos swept Panathinaikos 2-0 in the quarterfinals en route to winning their first EuroLeague title over Barcelona in Rome.

1996/97 FIBA EuroLeague - Quarterfinals

27.03.1997 Panathinaikos - Olympiacos 49-69

01.04.1997 Olympiacos - Panathinaikos 65-57

Olympiacos and PAOK square-off

A new version of a Greek ‘Cival War’ made its debut during the 1998/1999 season as Olympiacos and PAOK clashed during the second group phase of the FIBA EuroLeague. PAOK emerged victorious in Piraeus and Thessaloniki, but it would be Olympiacos who would adavance from the group before capturing third place in the Final Four in Munich, Germany.

1998/99 FIBA EuroLeague – Second Group Phase

13.01.1999 (Matchday 2) Olympiacos - PAOK 57-71

10.02.1999 (Matchday 5) PAOK - Olympiacos 72-66

Central Athens vs. West Athens

In one of the more unique all-Greek showdowns, Central Athens met West Athens as Nikas Peristeri and Near East met in the Round of 32 of the 1999/2000 FIBA Korac Cup. It would be West Athens that would emerge victorious as Nikas Peristeri claimed narrow wins in Kaisariani and in Peristeri before bowing out in the Top 16.

1999/2000 Korac Cup – Round of 32

08.12.1999 Near Easter - Peristeri 73-80

15.12.1999 Peristeri - Near East 66-63

PAOK vs. Panathinaikos: Reloaded

In the 1999/2000 edition of the FIBA EuroLeague, Panathinaikos and PAOK squared-off for the second time. Instead of the home team winning this time around it would be the away side that would rack up victories as Panathinaikos were victorious in Thessaloniki while PAOK claimed the win in Athens, as both sides merged from the second group phase before Panathinaikos cruised to all the way to their second EuroLeague title over Maccabi Tel Aviv in Thessaloniki

1999/2000 FIBA EuroLeague – Second Group Phase

19.01.2000 (Matchday 3) PAOK - Panathinaikos 69-77

17.02.2000 (Matchday 6) Panathinaikos - PAOK 71-75

AEK, Iraklis square-off

In the first and only showdown between the two sides, AEK and Iraklis met in the quarterfinals of the FIBA Saporta Cup with AEK using a big win in Athens to edge their northern rivals for a spot in the semifinals. After dispatching Iraklis in the quarterfinals, AEK would cruise to their second Saporta Cup triumph with a win over Kinder Bologona in Lausanne, Switzerland in the Final.

1999/2000 Saporta Cup – Quarterfinal

29.02.2000 ΑΕΚ - Iraklis 84-73

07.03.2000 Iraklis - ΑΕΚ 73-70

Aris vs. Maroussi: Chapter 1

In the 2000/2001 edition of the FIBA Saporta Cup, Maroussi got the better of Aris in their Top 16 showdown as a striker by Aris’ players over unpaid wages saw the second leg of the tie forfeited by the Thessaloniki club. Maroussi would go to beat to Elan Chalon in the Final to capture their first Saporta Cup later that year.

2000/01  Saporta Cup – Round of 16

30.01.2001 Aris - Maroussi 76-88

06.02.2001 Maroussi - Aris 20-0 (Aris forfeited game)

Three Greek Clubs, One Group

With the EuroLeague now under the governance of the EuroLeague Basketball Company, Olympiacos and Panathinaikos made their Eternal Derby debut in the competition during the 2001/2002 season while the archrivals were also paired with local foes, AEK, in the second group phase.

Panathinaikos would be the lone side to advance from the group, which also included Slovenian side Union Olimpija. To their credit, Olympiacos did beat Panathinaikos and AEK on every occasion, however, a devastating loss to Olimpija in Piraeus came costly for the Erythrolefki. After surviving a group with their local rivals, Panathinaikos would go on to capture their third EuroLeague crown in Bologna, Italy with a win over local side Kinder Bologona in the Final.

2001/02 EuroLeague - ΤΟΡ 16

28.02.2002 (Matchday 1) Olympiacos - Panathinaikos 92-75

28.03.2002 (Matchday 4) Panathinaikos - Olympiacos 88-78

2001/02  EuroLeague - TOP 16

07.03.2002 (Matchday 2) Olympiacos - ΑΕΚ 75-69

18.04.2002 (Matchday 6) ΑΕΚ - Olympiacos 65-75

2001/02 EuroLeague - ΤΟΡ 16

21.03.2002 (Matchday 3) ΑΕΚ - Panathinaikos 66-73

11.04.2002 (Matchday 5) Panathinaikos - ΑΕΚ 96-92 (OT)

Aris vs. Maroussi: Chapter 2, (ft. Peristeri)

Aris and Maroussi met on the European stage for the second time when the two sides were paired in the same group during the group phase of the 2002/2003 FIBA Europe Champions Cup. While the home team would emerge victorious on both occasions, Aris would top the group before facing another Greek club, Peristeri, in the semifinals.

2002/03 FIBA Champions Cup (EuroChallenge) – First Phase

15.10.2002 (Matchday 3) Maroussi - Aris 90-78

03.12.2002 (Matchday 8) Aris - Maroussi 87-78

A narrow 86-84 win over Peristeri in the semifinals in Sofia, Bulgaria sent Aris to the Final of the Southern Conference, where Bulgarian side Lukoil Academic would prevail 81-80 in the Final – though that showdown was only for conference supremacy.

2002/03 FIBA Champions Cup (EuroChallenge) – Semifinal (Sofia)

16.01.2003 Aris - Peristeri 86-84

Aris would get their revenge over Lukoil Academic, however, as the Thessaloniki faced their Bulgarian foes in the pan-European phase en route to 158-150 aggregate win before cruising to the Final. A win over Poland’s Prokom Trefl Sport on homecourt propelled Aris to their first FIBA Europe Champions Cup title.

Aris vs. Maroussi: Chapter 3

It was a third showdown between Aris and Maroussi one year later as both sides met in the revamped FIBA Europe League during the 2003/2004 season. It would be Maroussi who would avenge the previous year’s defeat to their as the Athenian side held on for a 2-1 series win. Maroussi would progress all the way to the Final that season, but the Athenians were thrashed by Russian outfit UNICS Kazan in a lopsided 87-63 defeat in Russia.

2003/04 FIBA Europe League (EuroChallenge) – Quarterfinals

02.03.2004 Maroussi - Aris 85-76

05.03.2004 Aris - Maroussi 101-93

10.03.2004 Maroussi - Aris 99-90

Thessaly vs. Thessaloniki

In what was a disastrous campaign for Greek clubs, Iraklis faced Olympia Larissa in the qualifying round of the 2004/2005 FIBA Europe League. On both occasions it was the home team that emerged victorious, but despite the share of wins neither side managed to finish in the top four of Group D as the pair joined Ionikos Nikaias (Group B) as sides to exit the competition early.

2004/05 FIBA Europe League (EuroChallenge) – First Phase

02.11.2004 (Matchday 2) Iraklis - Olympia Larissa 73-65

21.12.2004 (Matchday 9) Olympia Larissa - Iraklis 68-63

M&M: Makedonikos & Maroussi

In one of the rarer varieties of an all-Greek showdown, Maroussi clashed with Makedonikos in the quarterfinals of the 2004/2005 ULEB Cup. Makedonikos prevailed 167-165 on aggregate after two narrow showdowns, and the Neapoli-based club rode that momentum to the Final before losing to Lithuanian side Lietuvos Rytas in the club’s only appearance in a European Final to date.

2004/05 ULEB Cup – Quarterfinals

01.03.2005 Maroussi - Makedonikos 89-92

08.03.2005 Makedonikos - Maroussi 75-76

Doubel Overtime needed to separate Aris, Panionios

In 2005/2006, Aris and Panionios met in the Top 16 of the ULEB Cup with the former prevailing after two overtime periods in the return leg at Alexandreio. Aris would go on to beat opposition from France and Yugoslavia before losing to Russian side Dynamo Moscow in the Final in Charleroi, Belgium.

2005/06 ULEB Cup – Round of 16

31.01.2006 Panionios - Aris 70-72

07.02.2006 Aris - Panionios 112-105 (2OT)

Athens vs. Thessaloniki

After a two-year lull in all-Greek showdowns, the 2008/2009 ULEB Cup featured two different all-Greek affairs starting with two clashes between Aris and Panellinios in the regular season. On both occasions it was the away side claiming the win, though it would it Panellinios who would join Turkey’s Turk Telekom as the sides progressing from Group D.

2008/09 ULEB Cup (EuroCup) – First Phase

25.11.2008 (1η αγ.) Panellinios - Aris 69-71

06.01.2009 (5η αγ.) Aris - Panellinios 72-77

Central Athens vs. North Athens

After meeting Aris during the regular season, Panellinios faced further Greek opposition in the Top 16 in the form of Maroussi as both sides were paired in the same group alongside two Russian clubs. With the away side winning both meetings, neither Maroussi and Panellinios would manage to progress to the Final Eight.

2008/09 ULEB Cup (EuroCup) – Round of 16

03.02.2009 (2η αγ.) Panellinios - Maroussi 59-71

10.03.2009 (6η αγ.) Maroussi - Panellinios 83-85

Eternal Derby takes over Berlin

The Eternal Derby took over the European stage during the 2008/2009 season of the EuroLeague as the archrivals met in the semifinal of the Final Four in Berlin, Germany. Panathinaikos, who had been on the losing end of a handful of previous European clashes between the two sides, clinched a spot in the Final after an 84-82 win over their most-hated foes. Panathinaikos would follow-up the win with a defeat of CSKA Moscow in the Final, while Olympiacos finished in fourth place after a loss to Barcelona in the Consolation Final.

2008/09 EuroLeague - Semifinal (Berlin)

01.05.2009 Olympiacos - Panathinaikos 82-84

All-Athens Affair: Panathinaikos vs. Maroussi

Panathinaikos’ title defense during the 2009/2010 EuroLeague season. would see the Trifylli clash with Maroussi in the Top 16. Maroussi would claim a narrow home win over their local rivals before Panathinaikos claimed a similar win at the home confines of the OAKA Olympic Indoor Hall. Despite the split in results, neither side would advance to the quarterfinals as Partizan Belgrade and eventual champions Barcelona would progress at the expense of the two Athens clubs.

2009/10 EuroLeague - ΤΟΡ 16

04.02.2010 (Matchday 2) Maroussi - Panathinaikos 80-78

11.03.2010 (Matchday 6) Panathinaikos - Maroussi 82-79

Eternal Derby: Reloaded

The Top 16 meeting Olympiacos and Panathinaikos during the 2013/2014 season is the latest clash between the two sides that deep into the tournament as the EuroLeague would adopt a new format just three years later. Nevertheless, in 2013/2014 it would be the home team on each occasion that would emerge victorious as both sides advanced to the quarterfinals. Despite their success early in the competition, both Olympiacos and Panathinaikos would fall short of a Final Four appearance following quarterfinal losses to Real Madrid and CSKA Moscow respectively.

2013/14 EuroLeague - ΤΟΡ 16

20.02.2014 (Matchday 7) Panathinaikos - Olympiacos 66-62

10.04.2014 (Matchday 14) Olympiacos - Panathinaikos 68-65

Regular Season, Regular Derbies

Since the 2016/2017 edition of the EuroLeague, the new format allows for at least two Eternal Derbies per season. While recent editions have featured wins for the home team, the first four Eternal Derbies since the 2016/2017 season three wins for the away team as Olympiacos managed two wins at the OAKA Olympic Indoor Hall while Panathinaikos claimed one victory in Piraeus. European basketball fans are relishing another knockout round showdown between the two heated rivals, but for now those fans will always be the first to highlight the regular season on their calendars.

2016/17 EuroLeague - Regular Season

18.11.2016 Panathinaikos-Olympiacos 77-79

06.01.2017 Olympiacos-Panathinaikos 78-69

2017/18 EuroLeague - Regular Season

10.11.2017 Olympiacos - Panathinaikos 62-70

02.03.2018 Panathinaikos - Olympiacos 85-87 (OT)

2018/19 EuroLeague - Regular Season

09.11.2018 Panathinaikos - Olympiacos 93-80

04.01.2019 Olympiacos - Panathinaikos 79-65

by Peter Katsiris

Image Source: sportfm.gr

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