Ergotelis stuns Panathinaikos in cup
There has been no shortage of upsets in the fourth round of the Greek Cup, the biggest shock coming last night from Crete, where Panathinaikos conceded a last-minute goal and was eliminated from the competition by second-division frontrunner Ergotelis. Earlier yesterday, two more first-division teams failed to get past lower-division clubs for a place among the last 16. Playing away against the second division’s Ethnikos Asteras, Livadiakos was defeated by the home side, which scored the encounter’s solitary goal in the 54th minute. Kallithea squandered a one-goal lead against third-division club Ethnikos to eventually go down in the penalty shoot-out. Kallithea, playing away, went ahead in the 69th minute and had plenty more opportunities to seal the match. Surviving these, Ethnikos equalized in the 84th minute. More chances came Kallithea’s way during extra time, but the first-division club again failed to capitalize. Also playing yesterday, two other first division clubs, Akratitos and Apollon Kalamaria, scraped past their lower-division opponents Panthrakikos and Asteras Tripoli. Akratitos went ahead twice but a stubborn Panthrakikos side, playing before a home crowd, struck back both times to eventually lose out in the penalty shoot-out. There were no goals scored during regular and extra time in Apollon Kalamaria’s away encounter against Asteras in Tripoli. But the first-division Thessaloniki club managed to survive in the penalty shoot-out. In preceding fourth-round cup games, two other first division clubs, PAOK and OFI, failed to get past lower-division sides. UEFA Cup group qualifier PAOK, playing away, was eliminated by Agrotikos Asteras in the penalty shoot-out after their encounter ended 1-1. Cretan club OFI went down the same way against the second division’s Niko Volos. The fourth round’s three remaining matches are all scheduled for today. Olympiakos travels to Pyrgos, western Greece, to meet Paniliakos, Panachaiki hosts Iraklis, and Thrasyvoulos greets Atromitos. Olympiakos coach Trond Sollied left Brazilian star Rivaldo and veteran defender Giorgos Anatolakis out of the squad for the first-division front-runner’s away clash against second-division team Paniliakos. Sollied has opted for several players with little playing time this season, including Argentinean defender Gabriel Schurrer. The two sides have been drawn to meet in the Greek Cup for only the second time. In their first cup encounter in 1999, Olympikaos had eliminated Paniliakos with a 1-0 score in Pyrgos.
