AEK draws 1-1 with late goal in Cup match
AEK striker Nikos Lymberopoulos headed in a last-second equalizer against his former club Panathinaikos in a third-round, first-leg Greek Cup match last night to salvage a 1-1 home draw. The result bolsters the league front runner’s hope of advancing to the next round when it meets Panathinaikos, away, in next week’s return leg. Panathinaikos opened the scoring two minutes after the half-time break when Cypriot striker Michalis Constantinou made the most of a fumble by AEK keeper Dionysis Hiotis to tap in the ball from close range. Adverse weather conditions delayed the completion of a third-round, first-leg clash between Xanthi and Aegaleo. The encounter, originally scheduled for Wednesday, was interrupted in the 21st minute with the score at 0-0 due to a waterlogged pitch. The game’s remainder, played yesterday, produced a 1-0 win for the home side, Xanthi. Bad weather made an even stronger impact on a Cup match between Kastoria and Ptolemaida, which was postponed yesterday. The sides are expected to request a transfer of the encounter to next week in order to have sufficient time to prepare for their weekend league commitments. In other third-round, first-leg Greek Cup matches it was: (Wed.) Larissa-Halkidona, 3-1; Aris-Ethnikos, 2-1; (Tue.) Panionios-Ilisiakos, 1-0; (last week) Iraklis-Olympiakos, 1-0.
