Olympiacos sink Asteras to keep heat on PAOK
Olympiacos sink Asteras to keep heat on PAOK
GREEK SUPERLEAGUE - MATCHDAY 18
Olympiacos kept their winning 2019 form going with a third successive SuperLeague win of the year on Sunday, this time Asteras Tripolis were on the receiving end as the Thrylos ran out 2-0 winners.
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Goals from Greece internationals Kostas Fortounis and Lazaros Christodoulopoulos either side of half-time proved more than enough to seal another three-point haul for Pedro Martins’ men, who remain eight points behind leaders PAOK.
Asteras stay where they are in 11th spot as a result of the defeat, with a record of 18 points after 17 matches played.
THE MATCH
Having picked up from where they left off before the winter break, Olympiacos came into the match hungry for another win which would keep them in touch with PAOK as the title race enters the business end.
And the victory never looked in much doubt at the Theodoros Kolokotronis stadium in Tripoli as the Red and Whites dominated possession for long periods, with both Daniel Podence and Papa Abou Cisse missing early chances.
Tripolis did have a chance to score before Olympiacos’ opener when Spaniard Marc Fernández hit the right post with a first-time shot in the 24th minute.
But that near miss was to be rued by the hosts just three minutes later when Lazaros set up Fortounis to score, and then it was game, set and match just five minutes after half-time when the roles were reversed and Fortounis’ free-kick was converted by Lazaros’ outstretched leg.
Asteras struggled to create any chances of note in a low-key second half, and it was the visitors who looked most likely to add to their lead as the match entered its closing stages. Thankfully for Tripolis, Podence did not bring his shooting boots and the Portuguese missed two more chances to get on the scoresheet.
STARTING LINEUPS
Asteras Tripolis: 1 Papadopoulos (GK), 33 Ortega, 4 Pasalidis,77 Kyriakopoulos, 5 Triantafyllopoulos, 8 Mounafo, 6 Valiente, 7 Fernandez, 19 Tsilianidis, 27 Kotsiras, 28 Douvikas
Olympiacos: 93 Jose Sa (GK), 23 Koutris, 26 Vukovic, 66 Cisse, 14 Omar, 4 Camara, 12 Guilherme, 56 Daniel Podence, 7 Fortounis, 11 Lazaros, 18 Hassan
by Graham Wood
Image Source: onsports.gr
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