Atromitos shatters Reds’ invincible dream
Olympiakos lost its domestic unbeaten record on Sunday going down to Atromitos at home, on the day it announced it has agreed terms with its new coach, the Spaniard Michel.
After scoring 16 wins and three wins in the first 19 rounds of games in the Super League this season Olympiakos conceded its first loss, with Atromitos emerging as the unlikely winner in the clash at the Karaiskakis Stadium with a 3-2 score.
The Peristeri club had to come from behind, as it trailed 2-1 at half time. It had scored the opener through Brito in the very first minute, but Olympiakos equalized courtesy of Rafik Djebbour and led just before half-time via Djamel Abdoun. However, in the second half Atromitos scored two spectacular goals through long-range shots by Thanasis Karagounis and Elin Dimoutsos to force the Reds’ first domestic loss after 302 days.
New Olympiakos coach Michel attended the game after signing his one-and-a-half-year contract with the champion. Olympiakos announced he will be officially presented on Monday afternoon.
Therefore Panathinaikos on its 105th birthday has found out it has preserved the distinction of being the sole team ever to finish a league season unbeaten, back in 1963-64.
The Atromitos victory overshadowed two other very eventful games in this 20th round, the 2-2 draws between Asteras Tripolis and Panathinaikos and the Thessaloniki derby of Aris against PAOK.
Panathinaikos almost brought about Asteras’s first home loss on Saturday, leading 2-1 up to the last minute of time added-on thanks to a wonderful brace by Ibrahim Sissoko, but its defender Jean-Alain Boumsong conceded a penalty (a harsh handball decision) that allowed Emanuel Perrone to equalize for Asteras.
Aris and PAOK shared an entertaining four-goal thriller at the Kleanthis Vikelidis stadium, with PAOK leading twice through Stefanos Athanasiadis and new signing Abdoul Camara, but David Aganzo replied as many times for Aris, the second from the penalty spot. PAOK finished one more game with a man’s disadvantage after Dimitris Constantinidis’s second bookable offence.
AEK has moved further away from the danger zone after defeating Panionios 1-0 thanks to a Roger Guerreiro goal, while Veria scored a much-needed 2-0 victory over Panthrakikos at home.
In other weekend games OFI downed Kerkyra 2-0 on Crete and Xanthi saw off struggling Platanias with the same score.
On Monday Levadiakos entertains PAS Giannina.
