Stalemate in Athens favors PAOK
AEK and PAOK shared a goalless draw in Athens on Wednesday in the penultimate round of the Super League playoffs, in a result that clearly favors the Thessaloniki club in the two teams' rivalry for second at the table.
The 0-0 result at the Olympic Stadium means PAOK has maintained its three-point advantage over AEK and needs one more against Aris on Sunday to clinch the second spot that leads to the Champions League qualifiers.
Of course the second place will also depend on the decision of the Appeals Committee of the Hellenic Football Federation regarding the allegedly common ownership of PAOK and Xanthi. PAOK is second today because last week it had its seven points returned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Champion Olympiakos had no problems at OFI, winning 3-1 with a brace from Kostas Fortounis and a goal by Lazar Randjelovic. Panayiotis Deligiannidis pulled one back for the hosts at Iraklio.
Panathinaikos won 1-0 at Aris as Dimitris Kolovos scored, after the Greens’ young keeper Vassilis Xenopoulos saved a Yiannis Fetfatzidis penalty.
With one round of games left to play, set for this Sunday, Olympiakos is on 88 points, PAOK has 72, AEK follows with 69, fourth-placed Panathinaikos climbed to 55, Aris has 41 and will finish fifth, while OFI stayed on 36 to end up sixth.
