AEK comeback stuns Olympiakos

Lazaros Christodoulopoulos led AEK to a comeback triumph over Olympiakos in the season’s first derby, as the Yellows won 3-2 at home on Sunday to stay alone on top of the table.

They are two points clear of PAOK and Panionios who scored home wins on Sunday, in a much more productive Super League weekend than the previous one.

Reports bring the position of Olympiakos coach Besnik Hasi as untenable after the result, as the Reds squandered a two-goal lead and have dropped to fourth at the table.

Olympiakos weathered the early storm of the AEK attacks and took the lead halfway through the first half via a delightful chip by Marko Marin who sent the ball across the AEK goal and into the side netting.

The Reds doubled their advantage within 18 seconds from the reprisal as Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe tried a one-time shot after a Michalis Bakakis clearance to beat AEK keeper Yiannis Anestis.

Christodoulopoulos reduced the arrears for the hosts as his 64th-minute shot went in under the body of diving keeper Stefanos Kapino, and just 15 minutes later he scored again from a stunning freekick over 25 meters out that flew across Kapino for 2-2.

Then with a minute left in regulation time Petros Mantalos slotted the ball home from close range as the Olympiakos defense was unable to deal with a cross from the right.

The two teams ended the game with 10 men each due to the red cards shown to Uros Cosic and Bjorn Engels. Hasi was also sent off.

The game was stopped on the 70th minute for a quarter of an hour due to police using tear gas outside the stadium, apparently due to clashes with fans in the surrounding area of the Olympic Stadium.

PAOK defeated PAS Giannina 1-0 through an Aleksandar Prijovic header, and Panionios thrashed struggling Larissa 4-1, goals coming from Lazaros Lambrou, Samed Yesil, Srdjan Spiridonovic and Giorgos Massouras. Andoni Fatjon scored a consolation goal for Larissa from the penalty spot in injury time.

Panathinaikos’s ordeal continued with a 2-0 loss at Panetolikos on Saturday that has left the Greens on 13th. Franco Mazurek and Clesio Bauque were on target for the Agrinio team.

In other games Atromitos beat Lamia 3-0, Platanias downed host Apollon Smyrnis 1-0 and Levadiakos drew 1-1 with Kerkyra.

On Monday Xanthi greets Asteras Tripolis.