Olympiacos frustrated by gritty Xanthi
GREEK SUPERLEAGUE - MATCHDAY 13
| Xanthi | 1 - 1 | Olympiacos |
|---|---|---|
| Vukovic (OG) 54' | Vukovic 76' |
10-man Olympiacos dropped two vital Super League points on the road, as the Piraeus club could only draw 1:1 at Xanthi.
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Coming into the game, Olympiacos trailed Super League leaders PAOK by six points, however the latter now have the opportunity to extend their lead to eight later on in the evening. After hitting the woodwork twice in the first half, the Thrylos fell behind when Jagos Vukovic deflected Jeffrey Sarpong’s effort past Jose Sa, but the Serbian defender popped up with an equaliser 14 minutes from time. Olympiacos pushed for the win, but when Daniel Podence was sent off for a second yellow card on 78 minutes, hopes of a victory were extinguished and they had to settle for a point. For their part, Xanthi stopped a skid of four consecutive losses, and the home side occupy seventh place of the table with 19 points. Atromitos can overtake Olympiacos in second if they defeat Aris in Peristeri.
THE MATCH
Matches in Xanthi are never easy, but Olympiacos made a promising start against their struggling opponents. Taking aim from long range, Guilherme saw his powerful attempt strike the left post, before Pape Abou Cisse could only head directly into Zivko Zivkovic’s hands with the goal practically at his mercy. However, Olympiacos were struck by another injury, as Matias Nahuel was forced off the pitch in favour of Daniel Podence.
Podence then went closest to breaking the deadlock. Clean through, the 23-year old Portuguese attacker went for an audacious lob, however the ball cannoned back off the crossbar. At the other end, Xanthi’s Sofiane Khadda suddenly escaped his markers, only to see an onrushing Jose Sa stop his low shot.
Xanthi eventually took the lead against the run of play after 54 minutes. Cutting in from the right flank, the off balance Sarpong unleashed a seemingly harmless shot, however Vukovic inadvertently deflected the ball beyond the sprawling Sa.
Olympiacos were in trouble, but on 76 minutes, Vukovic atoned for his own goal. Konstantinos Fortounis found space on the right, his cross was knocked into the air by a Xanthi defender, and Vukovic stole in at the far post to knock it over the line. It looked as though Olympiacos would go on and take charge of proceedings, but 180 seconds after the goal, Podence received his marching orders with a second yellow card.
In the 10th minute of stoppage time, Xanthi came incredibly close to a famous win, with Aleksandar Kovacevic’s superb free kick forcing Sa into a wonderful fingertip stop.
TEAMS
Xanthi: Zivkovic, Chatziterzoglou, Lisgaras, Casado, Baxevanidis, Kovacevic, Camara (Djurickovic 52’), Brito (Meliopoulos 90+9’), Khadda, Sarpong (Castro 57’), Jendrisek.
Olympiacos: Sa, Koutris, Cisse, Vukovic, Torosidis (Manos 58’), Guilherme, Camara (Natcho 90’), Elabdellaoui, Fortounis, Nahuel (Podence 30’), Guerrero.
HIGHLIGHTS: XANHTI - OLYMPIACOS
