PAOK too strong for Panathinaikos’ young guns
PAOK too strong for Panathinaikos’ young guns
GREEK SUPERLEAGUE - MATCHDAY 8
PAOK continued their remarkable 100 per cent start to the SuperLeague season on Monday with a solid 2-0 home win over Panathinaikos in Matchday 8’s North v South derby at the Toumba in Thessaloniki.
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Aleksandar Prijovic opened the scoring six minutes after half-time and substitute Dimitris Limnios added a second to seal an eighth win in succession for Razvan Lucescu’s team, who move to the top of the standings ahead of Atromitos with 22 points.
The outcome ended Panathinaikos’ unbeaten start to the season at seven matches, with Giorgos Donis’ young guns showing plenty of fight and heart but just lacking a cutting edge on the night against arguably the league’s best team.
The Greens, whose young side made up mainly of academy graduates due to financial problems, have lit up the SuperLeague with their early-season form, and they remain in sixth spot.
THE MATCH
In a highly anticipated derby showdown which represented a crash test for Donis’ team, as well as a chance for PAOK to put their midweek home Europa League defeat by Vidi behind them, it was the home side who were the better side in the first, half, registering eight efforts on goal, three of which were on target.
Although they were second best for most of the opening 45 minutes, it was Panathinaikos who came closest to scoring first after six minutes through Italian striker Federico Macheda, but his close range effort was saved by Alexandros Paschalakis.
Prijovic was the focal point for PAOK, and the best of his efforts after 30 minutes drew a superb save from PAO goalkeeper Socrates Dioudis.
The home side continued to make most of the running into the second half, and Dioudis had to be at his best again in the 49th minute to deny Dutch midfielder Diego Biseswar who was sent clean through on goal.
PAOK’s fans did not have to wait much longer for a goal, however, as the hosts’ pressing finally yielded a goal after 51 minutes. Brazilian forward Léo Jabá was the architect, setting up Prijovic for the simplest of close-range finishes.
Panathinaikos always looked dangerous on the counter attack despite having to surrender a lot of possession, and the Greens midfielder Giannis Bouzoukis should have done better than shoot wide four minutes later when he was presented with an opportunity.
The 20-year-old Panathinaikos man had another chance on 65 minutes when he found some space on the edge of the penalty area, but his curling effort did not have enough power to beat Paschalakis who gathered the ball with a diving save.
Sensing they needed to kill the game off, the introduction of Limnios had the desired effect. Barely 30 seconds after coming on to replace Biseswar, the young Greek Under-21 midfielder slide home from close range from a Jabá cross to finish a slick move down the left flank.
And try as they might, Panathinaikos ran out of steam and could not get back into the game as PAOK comfortably held on for another win which keeps their amazing domestic run of form going.
STARTING LINEUPS
PAOK: 31 Paschalakis (GK), 20 Vierinha (C), 15 Crespo, 5 Varela, 3 Leo Matos, 19 Wernbloom, 87 Canas, 21 Biseswar, 10 Pelkas, 98 Jaba, 9 Prijovic
Panathinaikos: 1 Dioudis (GK), 3 Insua, 24 Mavromatis, 4 Kolovetsios, 78 Coulibaly, 8 Donis, 21 Kourbelis (C), 99 Kampetsis, 18 Bouzoukis, 9 Macheda, 11 Chatzigiovanis
by Graham Wood
Image Source: onsports.gr
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