Koita scores AEK’s goal with barely five minutes on the clock [InTime Sports].
A fifth-minute goal by Aboubakary Koita, with a clever shot from inside the box, settled the derby at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium and gave AEK a five-point advantage over Olympiakos, as well as PAOK, at the top of the Super League table.
This 1-0 win for AEK at the home ground of its closest rival at the start of the playoffs may well prove decisive for the race to this year’s title, while Olympiakos remains unable to score and its fans started booing their own players in the latter stages of the game. “This is not how we dream of Olympiakos,” chanted the Reds’ faithful.
AEK appeared to follow the recipe of Panathinaikos in Piraeus on February 8 (with the same score too), with an early goal for the away team and a solid defense that forced Olympiakos to resort to a frustrating series of crosses doomed to easy clearance by the strong central defenders of the visitors.
Substitute Yusuf Yazici did find the net in injury time for Olympiakos, but Lorenzo Pirola was in an offside position and deemed to have blocked the AEK keeper’s view.
PAOK shared a goalless draw with Panathinaikos in Toumba, in the other game of the title playoffs on Sunday, with the Greens at their best game of the three they have played in that ground this season (including the Cup semifinal). They still have an outside chance of catching PAOK or Olympiakos in third, although they remain eight points behind with five games left to to play.
AEK is on 63 points, PAOK and Olympiakos follow with 58, and Panathinaikos is on 50.
In the playoffs for the fifth place, Levadiakos retained its five-point advantage with its 1-1 draw against visiting Aris, as Volos and OFI also drew 1-1.
Asteras Tripolis and Panserraikos may still be in the drop zone, but entered the play-outs with precious victories: Asteras cut the distance with Larissa to three points with its 3-1 win against it in Tripoli, and Panserraikos defeated host Kifissia 2-1 to stay level on points with Asteras.
Also in the playouts, Panetolikos drew 1-1 with Atromitos.