Natcho nicks it for Olympiacos
GREEK SUPERLEAGUE - MATCHDAY 3
| Olympiacos | 2 - 1 | Asteras Tripolis |
|---|---|---|
| Camara 19' Natcho 90'+2' |
Tonso 67' |
Israeli midfielder Bibras Natcho came to rescue for Olympiacos on Sunday, netting a last gasp goal in added time to the Piraeus club a hard-earned 2-1 home win over battling Asteras Tripolis at the Georgios Karaiskakis stadium.
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Natcho, who came on as a substitute with just four minutes left, slotted hom cooly to give the home side their third successive win of the fledgling SuperLeague campaign after Tripolis forward Martin Tonso’s 67th-minute strike had cancelled out Mohamed Camara’s brilliant opening goal.
The result means Olympiacos maintain their 100% start to the season and join AEK at the top of the early standings with nine points.
There were chances at both ends during an entertaining match in which Tripolis showed - just as they did last season - that they are a side to be reckoned.
Olympiacos began the match on the front foot in front of their expectant fans, and Kostas Fortounis almost gave Pedro Martins’ men the lead after just five minutes, but his free-kick cannonced off the left post.
Tripolis also looked threatening whenever they made progress into the Olympiacos half, but just when the visitors were seeming to get a foothold in the match, Camara unleashed a fierce long-range drive which went in off the underside of the crossbar to break the deadlock.
The hosts went in deservedly 1-0 up at half-time, but to their credit, Tripolis did not give up the ghost and they continued to look to get behind what seemed like a slightly shaky Olympiacos defence.
And sure enough, their cautious probing reaped dividends in the 67th minute, when Tonso and Michalis Manias combined well. Tonso was sent clean through on goal but despite having his initial effort saved by home keeper Andrea Giannioti, he swept in the rebound to level the match.
Olympiacos responded powerfully with Giannis Fetfatzidis flashing a shot wide before Egyptian forward Ahmed Hassan was denied from close range by a great save from Nikos Papadopoulos in the Tripolis goal.
Then the home side survived a big scare in the 86th minute when Miranda’s poor clearance fell straight to Tonso, who missed the target from just 12 yards out.
Tripolis were then made to pay dearly for that late miss when Natcho pounced to score the late winner from MIguel Angelo Guerrero’s assist following a Daniel Podence cross.
