Olympiacos held off Panathinaikos with 10 men to secure a 1-0 victory at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, ending their Athens rivals’ unbeaten start to the Stoiximan Super League season.
Panagiotis Retsos scored the decisive goal in the 34th minute before Manolis Saliakas was sent off midway through the second half. Olympiacos withstood the ensuing pressure to take all three points in the sixth round of the championship and move within two points of the top of the standings.
Olympiacos Take Early Control
Olympiacos made the more assertive start in Piraeus and created their first major opportunity after just five minutes.
Following a mistake by Étienne Camara, Kostas Fortounis combined with Chiquinho, whose effort from around the penalty spot went wide.
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Imanol Alguacil’s side controlled the opening 15 minutes, while Panathinaikos struggled to establish a rhythm following the lengthy international break.
Jacob Neestrup’s team gradually worked its way into the match and threatened for the first time in the 29th minute. After Davide Calabria delivered the ball into the area, Andreas Tetteh attempted a backheel that was blocked by Stefan Ortega.
Retsos Breaks the Deadlock
Olympiacos found the breakthrough from a set piece in the 34th minute.
Fortounis delivered a free kick, Remo Freuler won the initial header and Retsos finished from close range to put the home side 1-0 ahead.
Panathinaikos made two changes at halftime, with Anass Salah-Eddine and Kings Kang replacing Giorgos Kyriakopoulos and Camara.
Olympiacos continued to threaten after the restart. Fortounis sent a direct free kick into the outside of the net in the 52nd minute, before Freuler headed wide from a corner two minutes later.
Saliakas Sent Off
The match shifted in the 65th minute when Saliakas received his second yellow card for a foul on Antino, reducing Olympiacos to 10 men.
Alguacil responded with a series of substitutions, bringing on Marcus Pedersen, Gelson Martins and Roman Yaremchuk as Olympiacos sought to protect their advantage.
Panathinaikos increased the pressure in search of an equalizer, with Salah-Eddine threatening in the 64th minute and Azzedine Ounahi trying his luck in the 76th.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, Olympiacos remained organized defensively and had an opportunity to put the game beyond reach in the 80th minute, when Gelson broke forward on the counterattack but failed to convert.
Olympiacos held on through the closing stages to secure the 1-0 victory, inflicting Panathinaikos’ first defeat of the league season and moving to within two points of first place.