Olympiacos demolish Kerkyra with five-star display
GREEK SUPERLEAGUE - MATCHDAY 27
| Olympiacos | 5 - 1 | Kerkyra |
|---|---|---|
| Ansarifard 12' Mirallas 45'+2' Fortounis 51' Engels 71' Vrousai 87' |
Epstein 27' |
Olympiacos put their recent frustrations behind them in emphatic fashion on Monday with a powerful display of attacking football which earned the Piraeus club a 5-1 victory over struggling Kerkyra at the Georgios Karaiskakis stadium.
Olympiacos put their recent frustrations behind them in emphatic fashion on Monday with a powerful display of attacking football which earned the Piraeus club a 5-1 victory over struggling Kerkyra at the Georgios Karaiskakis stadium.
In the first match since the poor 1-1 draw with Levadiakos which earned the players a heavy fine plus a lambasting from owner Vangelis Marinakis, as well as which saw the end of former coach Oscar Garcia, Olympiacos were worthy victors.
Marinakis did not follow through with his threat of fielding the Under-20 side, and goals from Karim Ansarifard, Kevin Mirallas, Kostas Fortounis, Bjorn Engels and youngster Marios Vrousai saw the home side run out comfortable winners under the watchful eye of new coach Pedro Martins, who will take over from interim boss Christos Kontis at the end of the season.
Martins was in the stands as a spectator, and he witnessed former Olympiacos midfielder Denis Epstein netting for Kerkyra to actually level the match in the 27th minute to cancel out Ansarifard’s 12th-minute opener.
But from the moment Mirallas rifled home a stunning strike from the edge of the penalty area on the stroke of half-time, there was only ever going to be one result - a home win for the wounded reigning champions who are set to lose their domestic title to leaders AEK.
The hosts moved through the gears after what was a largely low-key first half, with the excellent Fortounis netting six minutes after half-time to make it 3-1 with a picture-book goal, the Greece midfielder converting after great interplay between Mirallas and Ansarifard.
Fortounis then turned provider as Engels headed home his cross in the 71st minute to extend the lead further, before academy product Vrousai rounded off the scoring by slotting in his first senior strike with just three minutes left.
The result ensures Olympiacos remain in third place, three points behind leaders AEK, but this margin will likely change when the legal case against them for the trouble in the Athens derby against AEK completed. Olympiacos have appealed a three-point deduction penalty which has not yet been applied to the standings due to ongoing case.
