Reds stretch lead to nine points
In stark contrast to the previous round of soccer’s Super League that had seen just six goals, last weekend’s action in the league produced 21 goals and plenty of excitement. Olympiakos played as energetically as it needed to defeat visiting Xanthi 2-1 on Saturday, courtesy of an own goal by Giorgos Paraskevaidis and a strike by Luciano Galletti in the first 20 minutes. Xanthi reduced the arrears through Francisco Zuela and saw its injury-time penalty appeal for a foul by Tasos Pantos over Dimitris Souanis in the area get rejected. Zuela got his marching orders halfway through the second half for conceding a penalty, but Austrian goalkeeper Michael Gspurning saved the kick by Galletti. Panathinaikos rose to joint second through its 3-1 win over Panthrakikos in Komotini. Although it found itself trailing after just four minutes to a Sergio Ponce strike, Dimitris Salpigidis, Vangelis Mantzios and Gilberto Silva scored for Panathinaikos in the 24th, 63rd and 94th minute respectively. AEK defeated PAOK 1-0 at the Athens Olympic Stadium through a Rafik Djebbour goal, grabbing a much-needed win that also stretched Olympiakos’s lead at the top to nine points. PAOK’s Chilean central defender Pablo Contreras received a straight red card in the 68th minute for hitting Djebbour. Ergotelis held Aris to a goalless draw in Thessaloniki, while Iraklis snatched a 3-2 win at OFI. Thrasyvoulos scored its first home win, beating Levadiakos 2-1. In the other games Larissa saw off Asteras Tripolis 2-0 and Panionios downed Panserraikos by the same score. Olympiakos leads the table with 42 points from 17 games, followed by Panathinaikos and PAOK with 33. AEK in fifth has 28, Panionios and Larissa moved up to sixth with 25, as Aris has 24. Panthrakikos, Xanthi and Iraklis are at 22 points, Ergotelis is 11th with 20, Levadiakos stayed at 19, Asteras has 14, while Thrasyvoulos moved off the bottom with 12, overtaking OFI and Panserraikos at 11 points.
