Greek Super League Round-Up: Round 21

At a glance:

Asteras Tripolis 3 – 0 Panserraikos
Panthrakikos 0 – 2 Olympiakos
Aris 1 – 0 Panionios
Skoda Xanthi 4 – 0 Levadiakos
Ergotelis 0 – 1 Iraklis
Larissa 1 – 1 AEK Athens
Thrasyvoulos 1 – 2 OFI Crete
Panathinaikos 3 – 0 PAOK

Panathinaikos have emerged as arguably the only legitimate threat to Olympiakos’ title defence this season after they grabbed headlines with a 3-0 win over PAOK this weekend.

However, Henk Ten Cate’s men were unable to close the gap on their fierce rivals, who beat Panthrakikos away from home, whilst Larissa were held to a 1-1 draw by AEK Athens at the Alkazar.

The Round 21 action of the Greek Super League started with Asteras Tripolis’ 3-0 win over Panserraikos on Sunday, a result that has taken Nikos Kostenoglou’s men 7 points clear of the drop zone.

Vaggelis Kaounos opened the scoring for the home side with a close-range finish (19’), though it could have been so different had Hugo Broos’ side scored instead of hit the post through Cyril Kali (5’).

A second-half double from Marcelao – the first a free-kick and the second a penalty – condemned the men from Serres to defeat, leaving them 7 points adrift from safety in second-last place.

Olympiakos continued their march towards the Greek Super League title with another victory on the road, this time against an in-form Panthrakikos side.

The Komotini-based outfit were apparently their typical stubborn selves against Ernesto Valverde’s men, who scored an unspectacular but effective victory thanks to first-half goals by Fernando Belluschi and Luciano Galletti.

The two Argentines have been in superb form for the Piraeus club this season, the latter leading the league’s top scorer with 11 goals.

Aris finished Saturday’s league action with what could prove to be a crucial 1-0 home victory over Panionios in the race for European football next season.

Both teams started the weekend on 28 points, though it was Mazinho’s who moved into fifth place thanks to Sanel Jahic’s headed effort (15’).

The visitors had their chances to equalise but the combined absence of Uruguay internationals Fabian Estoyanoff and Alvaro Recoba hampered Giotis Stamatopoulos’ side in front of goal.

Skoda Xanthi began Sunday by keeping alive their own slim hopes of continental football with a crushing 4-0 win at home against Levadiakos, Georgios Paraschos’ men ending a winless streak that had extended back to Round 8.

Newly acquired Czech striker Libor Dosek made the perfect debut for the northern Greek club; his second half hat-trick steering them to victory after former Olympiakos man Charilaos Pappas had opened the scoring.

Momcilo Vukotic’s Levadiakos now find themselves only five points ahead of OFI Crete, who occupy third-last place.

Iraklis bounced back from the disappointment of a derby defeat to Aris last round, this week distancing themselves from any looming relegation battles with a 1-0 win away against Ergotelis.

Emmanouil Papasterianos’ stunning bicycle-kick gave the visitors a vital lead (51’), though the home side missed the chance to equalise when Brazilian midfielder Junior Silva failed to convert his penalty (73’).

Larissa and AEK Athens both stayed on course for a top-five finish by playing out a dramatic 1-1 draw at the Alkazar on Sunday evening.

Marinos Ouzounidis’ men took n late lead when Georgios Fotakis scored with a stunning long-range strike (89’), before Rafik Djebbour equalized just over a minute later with a neat close-range finish.

Meanwhile, OFI Crete took a massive step towards saving themselves from relegation with a 2-1 away win over last-placed Thrasyvoulos.

First-half goals from Stolica and Popovic were enough to see off Sakis Tsiolis’ side, who grabbed a late consolation but now appear condemned to second-tier football next season.

Panathinaikos moved into second place with a 3-0 win over close rivals PAOK in Athens, two goals from Greece international Loukas Vyntra capping an impressive second-half performance from Henk Ten Cate’s outfit.

They managed a third through striker Evangelos Mantzios, as Fernando Santos’ side continued their dismal record against the ‘Big Three’ this season.

Chris Paraskevas, Goal.com