Iraklis downs Panathinaikos as AEK leaps to second

Iraklis produced on Saturday its first major victory since its return to the top flight, downing Panathinaikos 1-0 and allowing AEK, victor of Panetolikos on Sunday to leap to second at the Super League table. Olympiakos just kept winning.

Former Everton striker Apostolos Vellios illustrated his good form scoring the game’s only goal at the Kaftanzoglio Stadium of Thessaloniki in Iraklis’s best performance so far season.

The game also marked the debut for new Panathinaikos coach Andrea Stramaccioni as well as for Ghanaian star Michael Essien. They both showed they have plenty of ground to cover to help the Greens take something out of the remainder of this season.

Meanwhile Olympiakos secured one more win, a Super League record 11th in as many games, beating Asteras Tripolis 3-1 at an empty Karaiskakis Stadium.

Costas Fortounis (twice) and Brown Ideye scored for the Reds, and Apostolos Giannou pulled one back for Asteras, as all goals came in the last 18 minutes of the match.

AEK beat Panetolikos 2-0 in Athens through goals by Jakob Johansson and Vangelis Platellas, while Panionios is now joint third with Panathinaikos defeating PAS Giannina courtesy of a brace by Iranian striker Karim Ansarifard.

Panthrakikos scored its first victory, upsetting host Atromitos 2-1, Levadiakos saw off Xanthi 1-0 and Platanias shared a goalless draw with Veria.

On Monday PAOK travels to Kalloni Lesvou.

However quiet the weekend may have been in the Super League, the situation remains tense in the Greek game, as it appears that fans find fertile ground in soccer for criminal activity. In Patra a fan was arrested after he was searched by police and found to have brought a pistol with him to the Panachaiki vs Larissa game for the second division.

On Monday the Super League will announce the fate of the Panathinaikos vs Olympiakos game that never got to start a week ago.