Greece round-up: Panathinaikos too hot for AEK
Sunday, March 3, 2002
Article summary
Panathinaikos FC beat AEK Athens 2-0, allowing Olympiakos Piraeus FC to top the Ethniki Katigoria.
Article body
Panathinaikos FC beat AEK Athens 2-0 on Sunday, allowing rivals Olympiakos Piraeus FC to take top spot in the Ethniki Katigoria.
Bassinas opener
Angelos Bassinas put Panathinaikos in front from the penalty spot in the 16th minute, after Nikos Georgeas fouled Jan Michaelsen in the area. Five minutes later Giorgos Karagounis fired home a second after a scramble in the area. AEK looked drained from their UEFA Cup clash against Internazionale FC on Thursday but were unlucky not to snatch a point in a desperate final ten minutes.
Simple chance
First Demis Nikolaidis missed a simple chance, then in injury-time Vassilis Tsartas hit two consecutive free-kicks against the post. Panathinaikos are now level on points with AEK, but third due to an inferior goal difference.
Giannakopoulos double
Olympiakos Piraeus took over at the top after disposing of Aigaleo 3-0. Alexios Alexandris opened the scoring in the 24th minute, and Pär Zetterberg was unlucky not to double the lead as he crashed a shot against the crossbar a minute before the break. Stelios Giannakopoulos increased the lead seven minutes after the interval and rounded off the scoring with a third in injury-time.
Xanthi held
Fifth-placed Xanthi FC held Iraklis FC, sixth, to a 1-1 draw with Ederson Fofonka's shot being cancelled out by a Stavros Lambriakos header. OFI Crete were denied victory by a 90th-minute Kostas Katsuranis free-kick from all of 30-metres, as rock-bottom Panahaiki GC claimed a 2-2 draw. Franck Histilloles had put the visitors in front before Roland Gómez struck twice for OFI.
Panionios in charge
Akratitos were thumped 4-1 by city rivals Panionios GS. Ermin Siljak and Kareem Mouzaoui each bagged two apiece, while Peter Cvetanov scored Akrititos' only goal from the penalty spot. In the day's other game Ethnikos Asteras were held 2-2 by FC Aris Thessaloniki. Daniel Edusei scored the equaliser two minutes into injury time after Giorgos Papandreu had earlier put Ethnikos into a 1-0 lead. Dimitris Markos and Apostolos Liolidis scored Aris's goals.
