Rough justice for Panionios as Olympiacos clinch late win
GREEK SUPERLEAGUE - MATCHDAY 4
| Panionios | 0 - 1 | Olympiacos |
|---|---|---|
| Hasan 90'+1' |
Olympiacos’ perfect start to the new SuperLeague season continued on Monday as Ahmed Hassan’s last gasp strike secured a barely-deserved 1-0 win for the Piraeus giants against Panionios in an entertaining match in Nea Smyrni.
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Panionios, who have had a tough start to the season, more than held their own against Pedro Martins’ team, and they were unlucky to have a perfectly legitimate Giorgos Masouras goal ruled out for offside in the second half.
That was an ominous sign for the home side, who defended desperately for the final few minutes but were unable to prevent Hassan from heading home a late winner in the first minute of added time.
It was a sucker punch for the Panthers, who now have just one point from their opening four matches while Olympiacos take over at the top of the table two points ahead of PAOK and Atromitos.
Apart from the crucial disallowed “goal”, there were half-chances for both sides as defences won the day overall.
Olympiacos, who were impressive on Thursday in holding Spanish club Real Betis to a goalless draw at the Georgios Karaiskakis stadium in their opening Europa League group match, were not as sharp as they were a few days ago, but Miguel Angelo Guerrero should have done better when presented with a good chance after 29 minutes.
The Spaniard was released by Kostas Fortounis’ clever pass, but the striker got carried away and his shot flashed past the post.
Panionios pressed forward whenever in possession and the Panthers almost took the lead four minutes into the second half when Masouras picked out captain Panagiotis Korbos in the box. The skipper fired a shot on goal but Olympiacos goalkeeper Andreas Gianniotis made a brilliant save.
Panionios boss Jose Anigo was then up in arms with the match officials after 63 minutes as Masouras raced clear to score, only to see his effort ruled out for an offside flag which replays later showed was incorrect.
Olympiacos responded well to the let-off and had a sight of goal just four minutes later, but Bibras Natcho’s close-range shot was saved well by home keeper Matic Kotnik.
As the match entered its closing stages it was Olympiacos who seemed most likely to score as they pressed the home goal looking for a breakthrough. And the moment Panionios fans dreaded came in added time as Hassan was left unmarked to head home from close range to clinch victory.
