Greece round-up: AEK maintain lead
Sunday, December 16, 2001
Article summary
AEK Athens maintained their five-point lead at the top of Greece’s Ethniki Katigoria.
Article body
AEK Athens maintained their five-point lead at the top of Greece’s Ethniki Katigoria with a hard-fought 4-2 win over FC Aris Thessaloniki on Sunday.
Visitors ahead
Said Chiba put the visitors ahead after only seven minutes, but Sotiris Konstantinidis equalised in the 18th minute, heading home a cross from Milen Petkov.
Two spot-kicks
On 53 minutes Demis Nikolaidis headed AEK in front, and the game looked to be over ten minutes later when substitute Vassilis Tsartas converted a penalty after Nasheef Maurice brought down Konstantinidis in the area. But two minutes later Aris were back in the game when Chiba slammed home his second from the spot to make the score 3-2.
Red card
But once Aris were reduced to ten men when Georgos Theodoridis was sent off for a clumsy challenge 18 minutes from time, AEK looked certain to take all three points and a Demis Nikolaidis goal from distance made sure late on.
Xanthi go third
Meanwhile, Xanthi FC moved up to third with a 3-1 win over Panionios GS, despite being reduced to ten men just before half-time. Abdelraheem Wakili scored just two minutes into the tie and Stavros Labriakos doubled Xanthi’s lead in the 37th minute.
Vallas dismissed
But three minutes before the break Spiros Vallas was sent off for a foul in the area and Takis Gonias made no mistake from the resultant penalty. In-form Wakili made it ten goals in as many games with his second of the day in the 66th minute.
PAOK Recovery
Elsewhere, FC PAOK Thessaloniki came from behind to beat OFI Crete by the odd goal in five. Pavlos Adamos and Alexander Soarez had put OFI two goals ahead before the fightback started.
Goal rush
Three goals in an eleven-minute spell, from Pantelis Konstantinidis, Yiannakis Okkas and Yiassemakis Yiassemis, spared the blushes of Yiorgos Georgiadis, who had missed a first-half penalty.
First win
In the day’s other games Panathinaikos FC beat Ionikos 2-0 and basement club Aigaleo edged out Ethnikos Asteras by a solitary goal – their first win of the season.
