Greens overpower Aris in Athens
GREEK SUPERLEAGUE - MATCHDAY 27
| Panathinaikos | 2 - 0 | Aris |
|---|---|---|
| Donis 62' Insua 74' |
Emanuel Insua produced a magical goal as Panathinaikos moved to within five points of fifth-placed Aris on Saturday after claiming a solid 2-0 home win over the Thessaloniki club at the Olympic Stadium.
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Second-half goals from Christos Donis and Insua, the latter producing a delicious chip, proved more than enough for the Greens to claim a second three-point haul in succession and edge closer to Aris in the race for a place in Europe.
The home side just about deserved the win after a strong second half, and with three games to play, Savvas Pantelidis’ Aris hold a five-point lead over Giorgos Donis’ Panathinaikos team.
THE MATCH
The atmosphere which is usually created by Panathinaikos’ fans was conspicuous by its absence at an empty OAKA, a result of the Greens’ punishment for the crowd troubles which marred the recent abandoned derby clash against Olympiacos.
This lead to a proverbial game of two halves, with Aris much the better side in the opening 45 minutes, while Panathinaikos claimed the honours, and the points, in the second.
Aris were on top in the early stages and almost took the lead in the 22nd minute, but Nicolás Martínez was thwarted by the crossbar after taking advantage of a mistake from Panathinaikos skipper Dimitris Kourbeis and playing a slick one-two with Daniel Larsson.
There were further chances for Aris in the early stages of the second half as well, but both Mateo Garcia and Nicolas Diguiny missed the target from good positions.
As the second half unfolded, however, it was Panathinaikos who began to see more of the ball and threaten the Aris rearguard, and Panathinaikos finally got the breakthrough they second-half performance deserved after 62 minutes, and Donis was the man on target. The young forward was in the right place at the right time to convert an excellent pass from Italian striker Federico Macheda.
With 16 minutes left, Insua locked up the three points with a brilliant strike. The Argentine met Omri Altman’s low cross perfectly and lofted the ball up and over Aris goalkeeper Julian Cuesta and into the net in stylish fashion.
STARTING LINEUPS
PAO: 1 Dioudis (GK), 2 Johansson, 3 Insua, 4 Kolovetsios, 5 Oikonomou, 8 Donis, 9 Macheda, 11 Chatzigiovanis, 21 Kourbelis, 26 Kace, 44 Pouggouras
Aris: 23 Cuesta (GK), 6 Basha, 7 Diguiny, 10 Larsson, 11 Garcia, 15 Valerianos, 18 Martinez, 32 Siopis, 44 Velez, 69 Korhut, 92 Rose
HIGHLIGHTS: PANATHINAIKOS- ARIS
