Kalamata came within a hair’s breadth of a dream return to the Stoiximan Super League, but Aris snatched the victory from their grasp. The “Black Storm” took the lead twice, showed character, and for almost the entire game looked set to secure the three points.
However, the final five minutes turned into a nightmare for Panagiotis Christofileas’s team. Fabbiano stepped up and, with two goals in the 89th and 90+3rd minutes, sealed a comeback that will be hard to forget, giving Aris a crucial three points in their season opener!
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The Match:
From the start, Aris tried to attack mainly down the right flank, with Palasios stretching the play wide and looking to find Rafa Mir with his crosses. In fact, the first real chance came as early as the 2nd minute, when Stroungis cleared the ball sloppily toward the far post, Mir shot on the move, and Gelio made the save. Aris made it clear early on that they intended to press high up the field, and after the first ten minutes, their pressing began to cause problems for Kalamata. The “Black Storm” insisted on building up from the back, without changing the way they tried to move the ball out of their defensive zone, resulting in several mistakes and getting pinned back in their own half.
Despite the pressure, however, Aris was unable to find the back of the net. On the contrary, after the cooling break, the momentum began to shift. The pace slowed, as did the intensity of the visitors’ pressing, which allowed Kalamata to move more easily into the opponent’s half. Vargas, Moreira, and Bolívar began to link up better, though they lacked the right finishing touch. Aris continued to look to attack from the wings and had another good chance in the 35th minute. Palasios sent in a nice cross to the far post, Fadiga moved like a hidden striker, leaving the left side of Kalamata’s defense open, but his shot on the run was off target.
And while Aris had the upper hand early on, Kalamata began to find their rhythm and eventually scored on their first real foray into Velio’s box. Following a corner kick by Moreira into the heart of the defense, Bolívar broke free from his marker and opened the scoring with a powerful header in the 41st minute. Shortly afterward, however, the “yellow-and-blacks” responded in the same way they had done several times in the first half: yet another attack and a cross from the right flank led to a penalty by Kaloutsikidis on Gianniotas, which Ratic converted to make it 1-1.
In the second half, the match remained evenly balanced, with Kalamata trying to build attacks and Aris looking more to the flanks and crosses. As time went on, however, the game began to rely more on physicality and one-on-one battles. Aris tried to ramp up the pressure and get more players into the box, but Kalamata once again found a way to strike. Their persistence in building up play and playing through the middle paid off, the ball reached Cataldi, who broke through on the right; he sent in a cross, and Vargas, who had made a run into the box, scored unmarked at the far post to make it 2-1.
As expected, Kalamata fell back and controlled the game until the 85th minute. Then Bolívar was sent off for striking Račić outside of a play. With a man advantage, Aris penetrated the box with ease and, relying on crosses and set pieces, posed an increasing threat as time went on.
And in the 89th minute, Fabiano controlled the ball following a foul by Garre and finished with his left foot to make it 2-2. With the momentum on their side, Aris continued to press, and in the 90+3rd minute, off yet another cross—this time from Bouzaid— Fabiano beat Gelio from close range to complete the comeback and secure three very important points.
*photo source: ARIS F.C.
