AEK beats PAOK as Berbatov sees red
Ronald Vargas was the hero as AEK beat PAOK with his goal in the weekend’s most important Super League game on Sunday, keeping second-placed AEK four points ahead of third Panathinaikos, that scored a win at Livadia. With leader Olympiakos winning once again without impressing and with nine goals in seven games this weekend, the Super League will need to try much harder to grab the attention of fans other than the diehard ones.
Vargas scored late in the first half to give AEK a 1-0 win over PAOK at the Olympic Stadium of Athens in a game which the Thessaloniki club ended with 10 men as Dimitar Berbatov, a halftime substitute, received a straight red.
Berbatov, who elbowed an opponent, was one of the four major stars to arrive in Greece last summer. All of them have been past their prime and neither Berbatov, nor Olympiakos’s Esteban Cambiasso nor AEK’s Diego Buonanotte are regular starters in their teams. Yet the fourth one, Michael Essien, o whhad a poor start to the season due to repeated injuries, has now become a mainstay in the Panathinaikos lineup and on Sunday he scored his first goal in Greece.
The Greens defeated Levadiakos 2-0 away on Sunday through goals by Marcus Berg and Essien in the second half and have overtaken PAOK that is now fourth.
Runaway leader Olympiakos returned to winning ways after its draw at Platanias, but had quite a hard time beating visiting Xanthi 1-0 on Saturday through a late Alan Pulido goal.
In the battle for fifth Panionios shared a goalless draw with Asteras Tripolis as the two teams are level on points, five behind PAOK.
Kalloni Lesvou scored only its second win this season, beating fellow struggler Panthrakikos 2-0 at home, PAS Giannina put Atromitos into further trouble with a 2-0 win at Peristeri, and Panetolikos downed managerless Veria 1-0 away.
On Monday Iraklis greets Platanias.
