Aris confirms its UEFA ticket
Aris was the only team from the top six to win yesterday in the penultimate round of the Greek soccer league, ensuring it will play in next season’s UEFA Cup. The Thessaloniki club beat neighbor Apollon Kalamarias 3-2 at home and secured the fourth spot. All top three teams recorded draws, with crowned champion Olympiakos finishing 1-1 at Aegaleo, which got relegated, as second-placed AEK had a scoreless match at home with Skoda Xanthi and Panathinaikos shared a 1-1 draw with relegation-threatened Larissa away. Larissa and Panathinaikos will also contest the cup final on Saturday. PAOK suffered a 2-1 loss at Atromitos in a game with three red cards, while OFI scored a crucial win in its effort to capture a UEFA Cup ticket, downing rivals Panionios 3-1 in Crete in an ill-tempered game with two penalties for OFI. Kerkyra edged a little closer to safety, thanks to its 5-1 thumping of Ergotelis in Corfu, but Iraklis has also remained alive in the relegation dogfight through its 1-0 win over bottom side Ionikos in Thessaloniki.
