Xanthi brings Panathinaikos down from the top

A spectacular goal by Thodoris Vassilakakis gave Xanthi a famous 2-1 win at Panathinaikos on Sunday allowing Olympiakos to climb alone at the top of the Super League after its 2-0 victory over Panionios on Saturday.

Xanthi forced Panathinaikos’s first defeat in the league this season, as Vassilakakis lobbed the ball magnificently over goalkeeper Luke Steele to give the Thrace club the win in Athens after Sebastian Leto of Panathinaikos had canceled out Pablo de Lucas’s opener.

Olympiakos is now two points clear at the top having beaten Panionios 2-0 at Nea Smyrni on Saturday, goals coming from Alberto Botia and Luka Milivojevic. Both teams finished this bad-blooded game with 10 men due to red cards.

PAOK won the Thessaloniki derby with Iraklis 1-0 at home on Sunday, courtesy of a third-minute strike by Garry Rodrigues. Iraklis played with 10 men from the 27th minute.

Earlier on Sunday Iraklis and PAOK fans clashed between them and then with riot police outside an Iraklis fan club in Thessaloniki city center. At least 10 people were detained.

Panetolikos rose to fourth with a 4-0 thrashing of Kerkyra, Asteras Tripolis scored its first win of the season downing Platanias 2-0, and Atromitos saw off visiting Veria 1-0.

The game between PAS Giannina and Levadiakos was postponed to a later date due to the earthquake that struck the Ioannina region late on Saturday.

On Monday AEK travels to Larissa.

Olympiakos is on 12 points, Panathinaikos has 10, Panionios has nine and Panetolikos, PAOK and Platanias are on eight.