Greece has ended the season with a friendly win over Norway, though the 2-1 score in Malaga was rather flattering for the Greek national team.
SOCCER
A spirited Greece fought back to hold top-ranked Belgium to a 1-1 draw in their friendly international in Brussels on Thursday, as Giorgios Tzavellas’ second-half goal cancelled out an early strike for the hosts from Thorgan Hazard.
Panetolikos survived the relegation playoffs and stayed up in the Super League, while Xanthi will have to wait for one more season to return to the top flight.
PAOK won its eighth Greek Cup on Saturday thanks to a dramatic, 90th-minute winner by Michael Krmencik for a 2-1 victory over champion Olympiakos in Athens.
![[Nikos Kokkalias]](https://www.ekathimerini.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/ΟΑΚΑ_-320x200.jpg)
Greek Police has banned any public outdoor gathering as of 9 p.m. on Friday (May 21) to 6 a.m. on Sunday (May 23) in central Athens, particularly around Omonia Square and Patission and Akadimias Streets, over concerns of hooligan violence ahead of a final Greek Cup match.
The Super League playoffs ended on Sunday with a historic triumph for champion Olympiakos over Panathinaikos with a 4-1 score, while Asteras upset a distracted PAOK to win 1-0 at Toumba.
With all European spots already settled since last weekend, interest in the midweek fixtures focused on Olympiakos’ celebration of its second consecutive league title in Piraeus.
AEK has sealed Greece’s final ticket to next season’s European competitions with a 1-0 win in the Athens derby against Panathinaikos on Sunday, taking with it Aris that went down at PAOK but has mathematically clinched a European spot too.
PAOK has moved up to second in the Super League playoffs through its road win over AEK on Wednesday, as Aris could not beat Olympiakos despite a last-minute penalty.
Olympiakos and PAOK will vie for the Greek Cup in May after clinching the ticket to the final with home wins against PAS Giannina and AEK on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.
Panathinaikos was denied victory at PAOK on Sunday due to an error the game’s referee admitted himself, but it still reduced its distance from AEK that went down at champion Olympiakos.
PAOK regained the Thessaloniki bragging rights after defeating local rival Aris away on Wednesday, while AEK salvaged a point in the Athens derby scoring in injury time against Panathinaikos.
Greek Premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Tuesday weighed in on the controversy sparked by a decision by 12 of Europe’s top football clubs on Sunday to launch a breakaway Super League, saying it is “wrong.”
PAOK forced Olympiakos’ second defeat this season on Sunday to keep up with Aris and AEK that also registered victories in the fourth round of the Super League playoffs.
PAOK and Olympiakos and close to setting up a hot date for the Greek Cup final after taking the upper hand in their respective first legs of the tournament’s semifinals on Wednesday.
Olympiakos demolished AEK with a historic 5-1 away win on Sunday, to get within two wins from a second consecutive Super League title.
[nx_login_form]x
