The unstoppable Olympiacos has set the Stoiximan Super League ablaze. The Red-and-Whites defeated Panathinaikos 1-0 at the “G. Karaiskakis” Stadium, ending the Greens’ unbeaten streak and closing the gap to two points behind first place.
The Piraeus-based team came out strong and, although they didn’t score in the opening minutes, opened the scoring with Retsos in the 35th minute following an assist from Froiler on a set piece.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Aris withstood Volos’s comeback and returned to winning ways
The starting lineups for Olympiacos vs. Aris
The numerical balance shifted when Saliakas was sent off in the 66th minute after receiving two yellow cards within three minutes.
THE MATCH
The first shot on goal of the match came from Olympiacos, who built up play from the left; Tsikinio found space and took a right-footed shot from outside the box, but Peña made the save in the 4th minute.
A few seconds later, the ball found its way to Fortounis in the box, but the Greek attacking midfielder’s shot sailed wide of the goal.
The Red-and-Whites came out strong and nearly forced a mistake by Panathinaikos’ defense in the 6th minute when Marius went one-on-one with Peña, with the ball going just wide.
Imanol Alguacil’s team had another good chance in the 13th minute when Fortounis took a free kick from the left and Marius got his head to it, but the ball sailed over Peña’s crossbar.
Panathinaikos weathered Olympiacos’s initial pressure, and after an injury to Tetteh and a scuffle between Fortounis and Taborda, the pace of the derby slowed.
Panathinaikos had its first good chance in the 29th minute when Calabria crossed from the right and Tetteh attempted a nice backheel from the edge of the six-yard box, but Ortega made the save.
However, it was Olympiacos who finally opened the scoring, thanks to their captain. Fortounis took the free kick from the left, the ball stayed in the box, and Froiler set up Retsos, who finished perfectly to make it 1-0 in the 35th minute.
The pace picked up, Marius cut into the box from the left and passed to Zota, who shot into a crowd of defenders; then Tetteh broke away on the counterattack and also shot at the Red-and-Whites’ defenders.
In the 52nd minute, the Red-and-Whites threatened again when Fortounis took a free kick from a good central position, and the ball went just wide of Peña’s left post.
Three minutes later, Fortounis took a corner kick from the left; the ball sailed past everyone and reached the far post, where Froiler got his head to it but failed to find the net.
In the 64th minute, Salah-Eddin took a powerful, curling left-footed shot from outside the box; Ortega dove and made the save with his right hand.
The numerical balance of the match shifted in the 66th minute when Saliakas was sent off with a second yellow card for a foul on Adino, having received his first card just three minutes earlier.
Imanol Alguacil made a triple substitution, bringing on Pedersen, Martins, and Yaremchuk, and switched to a 4-4-1 formation.
Jacob Nistrup responded and, in the 73rd minute, brought Desers into the game, going all-out on offense with the Nigerian, Tetteh, Levi, and Ounai.
Ounai gave Pendersen and Puerta a hard time in the 76th minute and carried the ball to the right side of the box, near the left corner, but his shot sailed high over the crossbar.
In fact, in the 83rd minute, Olympiacos was down to nine players because Tiknizian did not come off the field from the designated spot and Bruno did not immediately enter the field.
Despite their numerical advantage, the Shamrock failed to create any major chances and thus suffered their first league defeat, watching as Alguathil’s team closed the gap to -2.
The starting lineups:
OLYMPIACOS: Ortega, Tiknizian (85′ Bruno), Pirolá, Retsos, Saliakas, Froiler, Puerta (89′ Ese), Chikini (69′ Pedersen), Fortounis (69′ Martins), Zota, Marius (69′ Yaremchuk).
PANATHINAIKOS: Peña, Kyriakopoulos (46′ Salah-Eddin), Van Drongelen, De Vrij, Calabria, Kamara (46′ Kangwa), Luzá, Adino (73′ Desers), Taborda (62′ García), Ounai (84′ Jagić), Tetteh.
Photo source: KYPE
