Crespo’s late header keeps PAOK perfect
Champion PAOK extended its perfect start in the Super League beating Atromitos in a thrilling game at Peristeri, but so did challenger Olympiakos and surprise package Xanthi, all making it three out of three.
On Saturday Atromitos came back from 2-0 down, after goals from Chuba Akpom and Leo Matos, thanks to a six-minute goal brace by former Everton striker Apostolos Vellios, but PAOK swept all three points in injury time thanks a header by defender Jose Angel Crespo to win 3-2.
Four days before its opening Champions League game against Tottenham on Wednesday, Olympiakos thrashed visiting Volos 5-0 in Piraeus, having Guilherme, Youssef El-Arabi, Miguel Angel Guerrero, Mathieu Valbuena and Hillal Soudani on the scoresheet. Olympiakos’ last four goals came after the 70th minute as newly promoted Volos crumbled.
Xanthi is also on nine points after seeing off Asteras Tripolis 2-1 at home on Sunday. Petar Djurickovic and Fabio Sturgeon scored for the Thrace team, before Mark Fernandez pulled one back for Asteras.
AEK produced another convincing display under caretaking coach Nikos Costenoglou, downing Lamia 2-0 at home through an own goal by Vangelis Pliatsikas and a strike by Ognjen Vranjes. AEK is on six points now.
Aris produced another mauling of Panathinaikos, after OFI’s win in Athens a couple of weeks earlier, as the once-mighty Greens went down 4-0 in Thessaloniki on Sunday. Yiannis Fetfatzidis, Fran Velez, Nicolas Diguiny and Brown Ideye signed Aris’ first victory in the league. Panathinaikos is left with one point from three games and next week it is hosting Olympiakos in the Derby of Eternal Rivals.
In other weekend games, Panionios got its first win of the season, under new manager Nikki Papavasiliou, downing Larissa 1-0, and OFI dismissed 10-man Panetolikos 3-1 in Iraklio.
