Panathinaikos overturns AEK’s two goal lead to win Athens derby

Olympiakos and PAOK reverted to victories in the Super League, but the Athens derby, where Panathinaikos came back from 2-0 down to beat AEK 3-2, was the most memorable match of the weekend.

AEK led up to the 67th minute at the Olympic Stadium of Athens on Sunday through a wonderful Dimitris Bakakis strike and a Dimitris Kourbelis own goal, and even hit the crossbar early in the second half in its attempt to finish off the Athens derby.

Surprisingly Panathinaikos, spurred on by over 20,000 fans, turned the game on its head, first with a Federico Macheda diagonal strike, then with Juan Jose Perea’s equalizer from close range after a Tasos Hatzigiovanis cross, and finally with a headed goal by Dimitris Kolovetsios who had only come on the pitch two minutes earlier.

AEK is now nine points off the pace, in third, while Panathinaikos has climbed to eighth.

Olympiakos retained its two-point lead at the top with two goals in as many minutes around the hour mark by Daniel Podence and Hilal Soudani to defeat Atromitos 2-0.

The Reds have 26 points from 10 games, with PAOK on 24 after its 1-0 victory at OFI on Saturday courtesy of a spectacular long-range shot by Josip Misic early in the second half.

In the other weekend games, Aris beat Asteras Tripolis 2-1 to rise to seventh, Volos overturned a 1-0 deficit to defeat Panetolikos 3-2 at home, and Panionios scored its first away win of the season upsetting Xanthi 2-1.

On Monday Larissa hosts Lamia, and if it wins it will climb to the third spot.