SLGR Matchday 2 Recap: Big Clubs Remain Perfect
The big boys continue to roll after the conclusion of Matchday 2 in the 2018/19 Greek Super League. AEK, Olympiacos, and Aris top the table with six points after two matches following weekend victories. PAOK and Panathinaikos are also two for two, however find themselves further adrift after they began the season with points deductions.
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Defending champions AEK find the going tough away to Asteras Tripolis, but came away with a 1-0 win thanks to Petros Mantalos’ first half penalty-kick. AEK controlled most of the proceedings, hitting the post twice, but were made to sweat late on as Asteras also hit the woodwork as they won in Tripoli for the first time since 2011.
Olympiacos notched up the score of the weekend as they throttled PAS Giannina 5-0. Omar Elabdellaoui and Kostas Fortounis (penalty) scored first-half goals for the Piraeus side for a comfortable 2-0 halftime lead. Daniel Podence added a third before injury-time goals from Miguel Angel Guerrero and Yassine Meriah completed the rout for Pedro Martins’ side.
Omar El Kaddouri’s 68th minute goal gave PAOK a priceless 1-0 win away to Panionios. It was a lively affair in Nea Smyrni with both sides creating many chances. Panionios started strongly and will consider themselves unlucky to have picked up a solitary point from their first two matches. El Kaddouri’s strong run and neat shot were the difference in an entertaining match.
Panathinaikos’ youthful side continued to impress with a 3-1 home win over Lamia. Ioannis Bouzoukis scored for the second week running to open the score at the Olympic Stadium. Lamia’s Daniel Adejo equalized nine minutes before the half with a well-worked corner-kick routine. However, Giorgos Donis saw his players finish strongest and two goals in the last 20 minutes from Dimitris Emmanouilidis and Dimitris Kourbelis saw the Prasini pick up another victory as they erase their minus six point deduction.
Aris maintained their strong return to the top flight with a 2-0 win over Larisa. Goals from new signings Younes Hamza (71’) and Nicolas Diguiny (75’) gave the Thessaloniki club their second consecutive victory.
Elsewhere, Atromitos and Xanthi created little of note as they fought out a 0-0 draw. On Monday, Levadiakos sent crisis-hit Apollon Smyrnis into even deeper trouble as they won 1-0 thanks to a 73rd minute Marko Markovski strike. And finally, a Vlad Morar brace led Panetolikos to a 2-1 victory over OFI as Traianos Dellas’ side picked up their first win of the season.
Matchday MVP - Vlad Morar (Panetolikos)
The Romanian striker scored both of his team’s goals to lead the Agrinio side to their first victory of the season. The 25-year-old’s brace (24’, 58’) were key in ensuring Panetolikos avoided a repeat of last week when they lost at home.
Goal of the Matchday - Younes Hamza (Aris)
The Tunisian striker is back in Greece and scoring goals, this time for Aris. The former Xanthi man scored the goal of the weekend with a fantastic effort on Sunday against Larisa. In the 71st minute, Manolis Tzanakakis whipped in a cross from the right and Hamza cut in front of his defender to...chest the ball past Larisa goalkeeper Ogmundur Kristinsson to open the scoring for the Thessaloniki side. It was a piece of finishing brilliance from the 32-year-old.
Save of the Matchday - Marko Vellidis (PAS Giannina)
He may have picked the ball out of his own net five times, but Vellidis cannot be blamed for the emphatic nature of PAS Giannina’s defeat to Olympiacos. In fact, Vellidis pulled off the save of the weekend with a full-stretch dive to deny Miguel Angel Guerrero from a free-kick in the 59th minute.
Team Performance of the Matchday - Olympiacos
The Piraeus side were in full flow once again on Sunday, scoring five times in an impressive victory over PAS Giannina. While they have not yet been tested in the league, Pedro Martins’ side is showing that they will be a team to be reckoned with, especially in attack where the likes of Kostas Fortounis, Daniel Podence, and Guerrero continued to impress on Sunday.
Surprise of the Matchday - Xanthi
After going down rather meekly against Panathinaikos in their first match, Xanthi were expected to continue struggling away to Atromitos. However, Milan Rastavac’s players responded with a gritty display in Peristeri. It was not the best match in football terms, but Xanthi will be happy with the point gained away from home.
Disappointment of the Matchday - PAS Giannina
PAS are winless after their first two Super League matches. That may be expected after beginning the season away to AEK and Olympiacos, however the display on Sunday against the Erythrolefki at the Karaiskakis Stadium will be of some concern. Olympiacos incessantly pounded Giannis Petrakis’ team and the Epirus club have some real work to do during the international break.
