Panathinaikos experienced its first defeat in this season’s Super League, after losing from Xanthi 2-1, in a home match at “Apostolos Nicolaides” stadium, for the seventh match day of the Greek championship.
This result drove the “Greens” to lose the first position they had on the scoreboard, as this was also the first victory achieved by this border team in this season’s Super League competitions. This win was “sealed” by two impressive goals scored by De Lucas and Vassilakakis … competing each other!
Actually, the main reason for losing the three points and the first place, as well, was the bad performance of most of Panathinaikos’ players. They stayed away from their standards, being “puzzled” from their opponent’s tactical attitude.
Coming from… nowhere
In the first half, the “Shamrock” entered the game with strength, ball possession, control of the rhythm of the game, being unable, though, to “arrange” hard moments in front of Zivkovic’s goalposts. The only exception was a head by Samba, just before the first twenty minutes.
On the other side, Xathi was concentrated on how to avoid any threat in its box and also on how to threaten its rival in a counterattack. The first aim was achieved; the second one was… close to be achieved, in a “fight” with Yunes, after the first thirty minutes. In the meantime, though, the away team found unexpectedly a path to score a goal, after De Lucas shot directly into Steele’s goalposts as he executed a foul from the right side of the pitch, adding this way more pressure to Panathinaikos, their hosts…
“They got a move on” but…
In the second half, Andrea Stramaccioni sent Leto into the pitch and changed the team’s playing system into a 4-4-2 (diamond), in order to give Berg a “support”. The Argentinean ace tried to… fulfill the expectations by scoring 1-1, with his left leg, following a nice combination between Berg and Mesto, just after sixty minutes of game!
The momentum was in favor of Panathinaikos, though, the guests had again an “answer”, as four minutes later Vassilakakis, scored a second goal by an incredible shoot. The score 1-2 obliged the fans in Leoforos to freeze.
From then on, the match was in favor of the “Shamrock”, though, neither a direct foul executed by Ledesma, nor the strong shoot of M’Poku, nor a head by Berg in the additional time, were able to change the score of the duel…
PANATHINAIKOS: Steele, Mesto, Samba, Moledo, Hult, Zeca, Ledesma (91’ Rinaldi), Lod (69’ M’Poku), Villafañies, Wakaso (46’ Leto), Berg.
XANTHI: Zivcovic, Chtziterzoglou (54’ Nieto), Bexevanides, Lisgaras, Kamará, Fliskas, Vassilakakis, Lucero, De Lucas, Yunés, Soltani (67’ Lazic).
You can see here some photos from the match:
