Troubled Reds losing title grip
Olympiakos has fallen seven points behind Panathinaikos in the title race and the future of the Piraeus club’s Brazilian coach Zico is in severe doubt following a weekend of soccer marred by crowd trouble. The Reds only managed a 0-0 draw at Kavala yesterday, as the Greens beat bottom side Panthrakikos 2-0 at home to extend their lead in the Super League. PAO is now on 47 points from 18 games, while Olympiakos has 40. There were also problems for the Reds off the pitch, as supporters clashed with police before the match, as well as repeated scuffles during the game, as fans of both sides clashed with each other and with authorities. It was not clear whether there were any injuries or arrests. On the pitch, Olympiakos was unable to find a way past a well-organized Kavala side. The draw put another big dent in the Reds’ hopes of picking up another title and may have sealed Zico’s fate, who was already under pressure before the game. In contrast, Panathinaikos had a comfortable afternoon against bottom side Panthrakikos at the Olympic Stadium in Athens. PAO captain Giorgos Karagounis gave his side the lead and Dimitris Salpigidis scored a second in the 40th minute to give the Greens their ninth win from nine home games. PAOK is now just three points behind Olympiakos in third place after beating Asteras Tripolis 1-0 on Saturday, despite playing most of the game with 10 men. PAS Yiannina and Larissa remained in relegation trouble after they both lost yesterday. PAS went down 1-0 at home to Aris, which is in fourth place on 31 points. The game was held up for 15 minutes, as dozens of supporters spilled onto the pitch during fighting between rival fans. Larissa went down 2-1 at Atromitos in Athens. The defeats for PAS and Larissa mean they remain joint-13th on 18 points and in real danger of being relegated from the 16-team league. Levadiakos is two points behind them after drawing 2-2 at Panionios. Iraklis, in 12th on 19 points, picked up a vital point thanks to a 1-1 home draw against AEK on Saturday.
