Olympiacos celebrate 42nd Greek title

Olympiacos FC have sealed their 42nd Greek title – and their tenth in the last 11 years – after closest rivals Panathinaikos FC lost 2-1 at Panthrakikos FC on Sunday, Vítor Pereira's men celebrating their triumph by posting a 4-0 success against Levadiakos FC.

Knowing that they had already been crowned champions, Olympiacos strolled to victory in a festive atmosphere at the Georgios Karaiskakis stadium, the game turning on 25 minutes when Levadiakos goalkeeper Michalis Sifakis was dismissed for a handball outside the area. The hosts promptly went ahead close to half-time when Alejandro Domínguez poked the ball in from a Mathieu Dossevi cross.

The Piraeus side then stepped on the throttle after the interval, doubling their advantage on 55 minutes when Jorge headed in from a Domínguez free-kick. The first Olympiacos player since 2003/04 to reach double figures for both goals and assists, Domínguez added his second shortly after, and Kostas Fortounis rounded off the scoring in added time.

Coach Vítor Pereira, who replaced Míchel at the helm in January, paid tribute to his charges after the final whistle and reserved a special mention for captain Giannis Maniatis, who was ruled out of action for six months after tearing a knee ligament in March. "This title belongs to my players – especially Giannis Maniatis – and to our fans," he said. "We proved that we are the best team in Greece. We secured our first title and now we are going after the Greek Cup."

Olympiacos hold a 3-0 advantage after the first leg of their Greek Cup semi-final tie with Apollon Smyrni, and will contest the home leg on 29 April. As Greek champions, the Erythrolefki can also look forward to a berth in the UEFA Champions League group stage next season.