Panionios continue thrilling survival bid
SUPER LEAGUE PLAYOUTS - MATCHDAY 4
Panionios continued their superb start to the Super League playouts on Saturday afternoon, defeating Xanthi 2-1 at home to register their third victory in four matches.
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The Panthers are on a mission. Determined to avoid the drop, Panionios have been inspirational so far in the playouts, displaying plenty of heart and passion to give themselves a realistic chance of survival. Panionios are now level on points with Panetolikos and only one behind Xanthi as the battle to remain in the top tier continues to intensify.
Nevertheless, Panetolikos do have a game in hand, with the Agrinio outfit set to face Asteras Tripolis at home on Sunday.
Panionios took the lead against Xanthi in Nea Smyrni in strange circumstances. Under little pressure, Christos Lisgaras took the ball behind his own goalkeeper with a stray pass, consequently allowing Novica Maksimovic to tap it into the empty net.
Not long later, Odysseas Lymperakis thought he had doubled Panionios’ money, but his effort from close range was ruled out for offside.
Xanthi began to compete with more urgency as the match progressed. At the start of the second half, the visitors created enough opportunities to get back on level terms, but Matic Kotnik came up trumps for Panionios with a series of fantastic saves.
Saves which would prove decisive.
Midway through the second stanza, Domingues headed a corner across to the in-form Sotiris Tsiloulis, who beat Vitor Sao Bento with a low header which crept over the line.
However, Xanthi did manage to make it a nervy finish at the Nea Smyrni Stadium, as Jordan Faucher sent an accurate penalty beyond Kotnik with three minutes of stoppage time left. In the remaining minutes, the away side applied heavy pressure on Panionios, but the hosts held firm.
In their next game, Panionios will face AE Larissa on the road, while Xanthi will play against Lamia away from home.
