SLGR Standings: PAOK almost there, Panionios edge towards safety
PAOK are in touching distance of clinching the Super League title, Olympiacos and AEK continued their excellent run of form, while Panionios moved towards safety with a vital victory in Nea Smyrni.
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It’s almost party time in Thessaloniki. This weekend, PAOK eased past Lamia 3:0 at the Toumba Stadium, as Pedro Henrique, Yevhen Shakhov and Diego Biseswar scored the goals to take the Dikefalos tou Vorra within one victory of sealing the Super League trophy. A victory against AEL in Larissa on matchday 28 will officially crown PAOK champions.
In second place, in-form Olympiacos thrashed Panetolikos in Agrinio, easing to an emphatic 5:0 triumph with Giorgos Masouras, Ahmed Hassan, Guilherme, Mohamed Camara and Omar Elabdellaoui hitting the target. At the moment, the difference between PAOK and Olympiacos stands at 10 points, but the Erythrolefki have played a game less with the result of their Eternal Derby against Panathinaikos pending. Olympiacos’ win on Agrinio seals second place for the Erythrolefki and a berth in the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round.
Under the guidance of Manolo Jimenez, reigning champions AEK have found their groove again, and the Athenians showed character to come from behind and beat Xanthi 3:1 on the road. In the first half, Matias Castro headed Xanthi into the lead, but Marios Oikonomou, Ezequiel Ponce and Lucas Boye responded with three goals for AEK. On Monday, Atromitos beat Apollon Smyrnis 1:0, but AEK still boast a seven-point advantage over the Peristeri outfit in third spot
In a hugely important six-pointer, Panionios defeated AEL 1:0 in Nea Smyrni with Novica Maksimovic scoring, and the ninth-placed Panthers are now six points clear of the relegation zone with three matches remaining. AEL sit in 10th and have a daunting schedule with games against PAOK, AEL and Olympiacos coming up.
OFI gave their survival bid a major boost with a 1:0 triumph at home to PAS Giannina. PAS currently sit in 13th place - which grants a berth in the relegation/promotion playoff - and are only one point ahead of OFI. Fellow strugglers Asteras Tripolis and Levadiakos didn’t help themselves with a 0:0 draw in Tripoli.
At the Olympic Stadium, Panathinaikos rose to sixth, registering an impressive 2:0 victory against Aris with intelligent goals scored by Christos Donis and Emanuel Insua. Nevertheless, despite the loss, Aris still have an eight-point buffer in fifth position.
2018/2019 Super League standings after 27 rounds:
PAOK, 73 points
Olympiacos, 63 points*
AEK, 53 points
Atromitos, 46 points
Aris, 43 points
Panathinaikos, 35 points**
Panetolikos, 33 points
Lamia, 33 points
Panionios, 32 points
AEL, 30 points
Xanthi, 29 points
Asteras Tripolis, 28 points
PAS Giannina, 26 points
OFI, 25 points
Levadiakos, 21 points
Apollon Smyrnis, 10 points
*Result of Panathinaikos - Olympiacos match pending
**Result of Panathinaikos - Olympiacos match pending, Panathinaikos deducted three points for fan behaviour in same game
