Panathinaikos slip up in Nea Smyrni
GREEK SUPERLEAGUE - MATCHDAY 22
| Panionios | 2 - 0 | Panathinaikos |
|---|---|---|
| Spiridonovic 10' Stavropoulos 55' |
Panathinaikos’ charge towards fifth place took a knock on Sunday, with the Greens conceding a 0:2 defeat to Panionios in Nea Smyrni.
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In order to temporarily overtake Aris into fifth position of the Super League, Panathinaikos needed to defeat Panionios on the road, but their opponents had other ideas. After Srdjan Spiridonovic scored the opener in the first half, Dimitris Stavropoulos grabbed another for Panionios in the second 45, sealing an impressive victory which takes the Panthers up to ninth position with tenth-placed Lamia set to play AEL later in the day. Panathinaikos stay sixth.
THE MATCH
Panionios managed to break the deadlock within 10 minutes. Following good work from Fiorin Durmishaj on the right wing, the ball found its way to the lurking Spiridonovic, with the latter subsequently slotting a low effort beyond Sokratis Dioudis with the Panathinaikos defence all at sea.
The hosts continued creating problems throughout the first half. Albanian striker Durmishaj, who was a nightmare for Panathinaikos defender Theofanis Mavromatis to handle during the entire game, could have doubled the Panthers’ lead, however his cutting attempt was palmed out for a corner by Dioudis.
Durmishaj then tested Dioudis at the start of the second frame, as his stinging free-kick from long range was turned aside by the 26-year-old.
Nevertheless, despite Dioudis’ best efforts, Panionios did increase their lead on 55 minutes. Played onside by Anastasios Chatzigiovannis, defender Stavropoulos took advantage of pinball inside the box after a corner, bundling his shot under the stricken goalkeeper.
Moments later, Panathinaikos had the chance to halve the deficit, however Matic Kotnik got his hands on a strong, powerful drive from a tight angle.
As the match progressed, the Greens gradually increased the pressure, but they rarely troubled Kotnik and Panionios calmly saw the game out to claim a vital victory which takes them away from the relegation zone.
THE TEAMS
Panionios: Kotnik, Kocic, Domingues, Stavropoulos, Papageorgiou, Korbos, Maniatis (Banana 79’), Masouras, Arce (Boumal 88’), Spiridonovic (Tsiloulis 73’), Durmishaj.
Panathinaikos: Dioudis, Chatzitheodoridis, Mavromatis (Donis 83’), Kolovetsios, Poungouras, Chatzigiovannis (Vergos 62’), Kace (Mounier 73’), Kourbelis, Bouzoukis, Altman, Macheda.
HIGHLIGHTS: PANIONIOS - PANATHINAIKOS
