Field day for away teams
The capital’s three big clubs in soccer’s Super League enjoyed significant wins over the weekend, during which only one of the eight home teams won and four visiting teams notched up victories. Panathinaikos, who beat PAOK 1-0 on Saturday – was the only team to win at its own stadium but home advantage was irrelevant as the game was behind closed doors. Leader Olympiakos kept its one-point distance from Panathinaikos with an emphatic 3-0 win at Xanthi on Saturday, through goals by Albert Riera, Vasilis Torosidis and youngster Yiannis Fetfatzidis. Panathinaikos had a harder time against last season’s runner-up but PAOK had no answer to Loukas Vyntra’s first-half strike. The Greens are now preparing for their Champions League game on Wednesday at home against Russia’s Rubin Kazan. AEK rose from 10th to third in the league with a spectacular performance at Aris, winning 4-0 in what was Spanish coach Manolo Jimenez’s first match on the Athens side’s bench. Two goals from Nacho Scocco, between strikes by Pantelis Kafes and Rafik Djebbour gifted AEK a crucial win that lifts its spirit after a string of bad results and ahead of its visit to Anderlecht on Thursday for the Europa League. Aris, in turn, will be hosting Bayer Leverkusen. Asteras Tripolis stunned Larissa with a 2-0 win away through two goals within three minutes at the end of the first half. Ergotelis grabbed a 1-0 win at Panionios on Saturday, while yesterday Olympiakos Volou snatched a 2-2 draw at Atromitos. Panserraikos went level at the very end of its game at Iraklis (1-1) and Kavala came from behind to get a point from Kerkyra at Patra with the same score. Olympiakos tops the table with 15 points, Panathinaikos has 14 and AEK 10, followed by six teams with nine points. They are Aris, Kavala, Asteras Tripolis, Kerkyra, Iraklis and Ergotelis. Olympiakos Volou has eight, Atromitos six, Xanthi, Larissa and PAOK five, while Panionios and Panserraikos share the last spot with four points.
