Panionios suffers 1-0 loss to Napoli at home
Napoli beat Panionios 1-0 in Nea Smyrni yesterday in the first leg of the third round of the Intertoto Cup and is the favorite to proceed to the UEFA Cup. Watched by about 6,000 fans (including about 400 Italians) who braved the heat in Athens, Panionios dominated the game, but was simply unable to crack the Italian defense. It took a lapse of concentration at the back for coach Ewald Lienen’s team to concede the crucial goal that has given Napoli the upper hand in the tie. It was Uruguayan midfielder Mariano Bogliacino who scored the sole goal from close range for Napoli, after a pass by Argentine forward German Denis at the 31st minute. The goal was against the run of play, but did not change its flow, with the hosts gradually increasing the pressure on the Campionato side. Panionios hit the crossbar twice, in the first minute with Lambros Choutos and in the 37th with Bernard Kumordzi, but could not translate their superiority into goals. Choutos actually had two goals correctly disallowed as being offside, one in each half, while Denis was also denied another at the last minute. The second leg is set for this coming Saturday in Naples. The winner of the tie advances to the second qualifying round of the UEFA Cup.
