The match between Panathinaikos and Olympiacos ended without a winner, 1-1
Panathinaikos and Olympiacos remained in a draw (1-1) at “Apostolos Nikolaidis” in the first match of the pair for the round of 16 Greek Cupwith the result that all scenarios remain open in view of the rematch next Wednesday (17/01) in Piraeus.
The… Greeks determined the result in the match in Athens, since Sotiris Alexandropoulos scored in the first half for the “reds”, and the -celebrating- Fotis Ioannidis in the second for the “greens”. Now, in seven evenings, the ticket to the quarter-finals at “Georgios Karaiskakis” will be decided.
The match
The pace in the first few minutes was… cold, which suited both the temperature and the quiet, due to the absence of the crowd. THE Panathinaikos had possession, without however creating threats to the opposing defense. The first final came at 18′ with a shot by Bernard, which went high out. THE Olympic threatened Lodingin’s goal for the first time on 25′, with Richards pressing and forcing Jedvai into a mistake, who unwittingly laid the ball to Masoura. The Olympiakos winger came out in front of the Greco-Russian goalkeeper, but his finish from the edge of the area was not ideal, it was described in ertsports.
In the 29th minute, the visitors counterattacked, Masouras turned from the right, but Kotsiras fired at the second post in front of Richards. Carvalhal’s players took steps on the grass as the minutes ticked by. In the 35th minute, Djuricic fell on the pitch and then left injured, with Mancini taking his place. The picture had now been reversed with the Piraeus having the initiative of the movements, but they did not create any significant opportunity either. This changed in the 45th minute, when after a corner kick the Panathinaikos defense became inactive, Alexandropoulos found himself in the small area and sent the ball into the net for 1-0. However, the international midfielder did not celebrate his goal, respecting his previous team.
The second half started with… surprises, as Terim made two changes in the dressing room. Verbitz took Aitor’s place and Sporar took Bernard’s place. The “greens” showed a willingness to… go up from the start, while the “red and whites” on the other hand entered a “mood” of managing the result. In the 57th minute, a good moment came for the home team with Verbic getting a header from Kotsira’s cross, but Rodiney was sent away for a corner. The Turkish coach put Vagiannidis in place of Perez in the 60′, moving Kotsiras to “8”. Despite this, Panathinaikos managed to equalize just four minutes later. Mancini executed a corner from the right, the ball went to Ioannidis who with a powerful header beat Paschalakis and made it 1-1.
The tie forced Carvalhal to… throw Fortunis on the grass, who took Masoura’s place in the 73′. Of course, the pace dropped significantly, with the two teams looking like… reconciled to the idea of claiming qualification in seven days in Piraeus. The “clover” missed a huge opportunity at 90’+1′, with Ioannidis facing Paschalakis after a period of time, but not catching the shot well and the ball going wide. Two minutes later, Verbich went four-four with the Greek goalkeeper from a sideline position, but was unable to beat him. Somehow, 1-1 was maintained until the final whistle and the two “eternal” will claim the “ticket” to the quarter-finals at “Georgios Karaiskakis” next week.
GOAL: 65′ Ioannidis – 45′ Alexandropoulos
Yellow: 72′ Ioannidis, 90′+4′ Verbits – 10′ Alexandropoulos, 86′ Retsos, 88′ Kamara
Red: –
Beam: –
Statistics: The last “eternal” derby for the Greek Cup was held on January 16, 2008. At that time, Takis Lemonis’ Olympiacos destroyed Jose Peseiro’s Panathinaikos in “Georgios Karaiskakis” with an emphatic 4-0. The matches then were “single” and the specific result was enough to give the qualification to the “red and whites”.
Panathinaikos (Fatih Terim): Lodingin, Mladenovic, Arao, Jedvai, Kotsiras, Pereth (60′ Vagiannidis), Cerin, Bernard (46′ Sporar), Djuricic (38′ Mancini), Aitor (46′ Verbic), Ioannidis
Olympic (Carlos Carvalhal): Paschalakis, Ortega (61′ Kini), Doi, Retsos, Rodinei, Alexandropoulos (60′ Kamara), Ese, Carvalho, Richards (56′ Pontense), Masouras (73′ Fortounis), Navarro (73′ Jovetic )
