Relentless AEK claim Athens derby honours
SUPER LEAGUE PLAYOFFS - MATCHDAY 8
AEK continued their relentless pursuit of PAOK in the battle for second place in the Super League Play Offs on Sunday by securing a hard-earned 3-1 win over Panathinaikos in the Athenian derby at the Olympic Stadium in Athens
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Massimo Carrera’s Kitrinomavri opened the scoring early on through Dymitro Chygrynskyy, who headed home a Petros Mantalos cross after eight minutes with the Panathinaikos defenders nowhere to be seen.
Panathinaikos quickly drew level through Dimitris Kourbelis, who headed home from a Giannis Bouzoukis cross to make it 1-1. Both sides then had chances before an awful defensive lapse from Dimitris Kolovetsios allowed Nelson Oliveria to steal possession and score an easy goal to make it 2-1 to AEK.
Giorgos Donis’ Greens side battled manfully in a lower-key second half, but they could not find the equalizing goal, while AEK got a third in added time through Daniele Verde’s penalty to make sure of another vital three-point haul.
The result means AEK moved level on 68 points with second-placed PAOK, who were facing Olympiacos at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Sunday’s late match.
THE MATCH
The Athenian derby was Sunday’s first match on the derby day menu with Panathinaikos playing host to AEK in the ground the two sides share.
AEK began the lead-up to this match with a four-point lead over PAOK in the race for second place. However, with PAOK’s appeal to CAS accepted over a seven-point deduction, an in-form AEK found themselves needing to make up ground once again, namely a three-point gap.
Panathinaikos, who drew 0-0 with PAOK last time out, will finish in fourth regardless of the outcome of their last three matches, so there was zero pressure on their youthful squad with only pride and local bragging rights at stake.
AEK have been the form team of the Play Offs, and they began in confident mood, taking the lead following their first corner of the match on eight minutes.
It came from a surprising source in the form of big center back Chygrynskyy, who evaded his marker to head home from a Mantalos cross after a short-corner was taken and the AEK skipper worked himself some space to whip over a perfect ball for the Ukrainian.
The lead lasted just eight minutes, however, as Panathinaikos found a quick response through Kourbelis. The Greens’ captain headed home from Bouzoukis’ center following a corner.
That opening made for an entertaining game with both sides committed to attack, and Panathinaikos should have gone 2-1 up after 31 minutes. Argyris Kabetsis was sent scampering through on goal, but with only AEK goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas to beat, the Greens’ young striker’s low, diagonal shot shaved the right post on its way behind to safety.
Panathinaikos then shot themselves in the foot just two minutes before half-time when defender Kolovetsios made an uncharacteristic error, dallying in possession just in front of his own penalty area. Oliveira robbed him of possession before striding forward and beating Socratis Dioudis in the Panathinaikos goal with a slick, low, side-footed finish.
Donis’ Greens side came out fighting as expected after the half-time interval, and Bouzoukis almost caught out Barkas at the near post with a shot which the big goalkeeper got down to block.
Apart from that chance, goalscoring opportunities were few and far between in comparison with the first half, and the tempo dropped as the game entered the final 20 minutes as AEK looked to protect their lead.
As the Panathinaikos players seemed to tire in the closing stages, AEK came forward again, and they were presented with the chance to score a third goal in the third minute of added time when substitute Sergio Araujo was fouled in the penalty area by Kourbelis.
Another sub, Verde, who had only come on three minutes earlier and had already fluffed a great one-on-one chance, stepped up and sent Dioudis the wrong way from 12 yards to make the final score 3-1.
STARTING LINEUPS
Panathinaikos: 1 Dioudis (Gk), 4 Kolovetsios, 5 Schenkeveld, 9 Macheda, 18 Bouzoukis, 21 Kourbelis, 23 Theocharis, 26 Tuhami, 47 Zagaritis, 55 Alexandropoulos, 99 Kabetsis
AEK: 1 Barkas (Gk), 3 Lopes, 24 Svarnas, 19 Chygrynskyy, 27 Paulinho, 5 Szymanski, 8 Simoes, 6 Krsticic, 10 Livaja, 18 Oliveira, 20 Mandalos
