Defending champions AEK Athens, Olympiacos and Aris all recorded victories as the new Stoiximan Super League 1 season commenced on Saturday with ten goals across three opening matches.
AEK enjoyed the most comfortable start to their domestic campaign with a 4-0 victory over newly promoted Iraklis, whereas Olympiacos needed an 82nd-minute strike to break down Atromitos 1-0 and Aris mounted a late comeback to beat Kalamata 3-2.
Super League 1 is the premier professional football competition in Greece. The opening weekend of the 2026-27 season featured three of the country's most prominent clubs competing across contrasting encounters in Athens, Piraeus and Kalamata.
AEK Athens victory over Iraklis
AEK Athens began their title defense in dominant fashion by handing newly promoted Iraklis a 4-0 defeat at home. The result served as ideal preparation for AEK ahead of their upcoming Champions League play-off second leg against Bulgarian side Levski.
The Greek champions established control early in the match, taking a two-goal lead within the opening twenty minutes. All four goals were scored by AEK's starting attacking trio of Barnabas Varga, Luka Jovic and Zini.
Barnabas Varga opened the scoring in the 11th minute following an assist from Razvan Marin. Luka Jovic doubled the advantage in the 19th minute, beating Iraklis goalkeeper Athanasiadis. Iraklis struggled to create a response, while Athanasiadis made several saves to prevent further first-half damage.
AEK maintained their momentum immediately after the second-half restart. Razvan Marin provided his second assist of the evening, setting up Luka Jovic to score his second goal in the match and extend the lead to 3-0.
Iraklis briefly thought they had pulled a goal back in the 53rd minute when Pina found the net. However, the goal was disallowed following a foul earlier in the build-up.
Zini completed the scoring in the 75th minute, converting a pass from substitute Lovro Majer to seal the 4-0 victory. Following the match, AEK manager Nikolic said that the team had agreed before kickoff not to underestimate such fixtures.
Olympiacos late winner against Atromitos
At Karaiskakis Stadium, Olympiacos endured a frustrating evening before securing a 1-0 win over Atromitos. The Piraeus club had suffered title setbacks last season due to dropped points against lower-ranked opponents at home, and looked at risk of repeating those struggles.
Atromitos goalkeeper Lefteris Choutesiotis, a former Olympiacos player, produced a series of saves to deny the hosts for 82 minutes. Olympiacos created multiple opportunities in the first half but failed to apply sustained pressure.
The home side increased their attacking intensity in the second half, yet Choutesiotis continued to preserve his clean sheet. His finest moment arrived in the 80th minute, when he saved a penalty from Morocco international striker Ayoub El Kaabi, who attempted a Panenka spot-kick.
Olympiacos finally broke the deadlock two minutes later. Following an 82nd-minute corner kick, defender David Carmo produced an unstoppable shot to score the match winner.
The hosts finished the match with ten men after Rodinei was shown a red card for stepping on Atromitos player Tsiloulis. Despite the late dismissal, Olympiacos held on for the three points. Olympiacos manager Mendilibar said after the game that his team had played well and could have scored additional goals. Basketball head coach Bartzokas was also present at the stadium to support the football team.
Aris comeback victory at Kalamata
Aris pulled off a dramatic 3-2 victory away to Kalamata, scoring twice in final minutes to deny the hosts an opening-day win on their return to the top flight. Kalamata had held a 2-1 lead until the 89th minute.
Aris controlled long stretches of the first half but fell behind in the 41st minute when Kalamata attacker Bolivar headed past Aris goalkeeper Velios to open the scoring.
Kalamata's lead proved short-lived as Aris earned a penalty two minutes later. Racic converted from the spot in the 43rd minute to send the teams into the break tied at 1-1.
Kalamata restored their advantage in the 60th minute through a counter-attack finished by Vargas to make it 2-1. The closing stages produced significant refereeing controversy and tactical changes.
In the 79th minute, referee Zabalas initially awarded a penalty to Aris before revising his decision to a free-kick outside the penalty area. Kalamata were then reduced to ten men in the 85th minute when Bolivar received a red card for striking Racic.
Aris manager Grigoriou responded by introducing every available attacking player from the bench. However, it was center-back Fabiano who delivered the victory. Fabiano equalized in the 89th minute to make it 2-2, before scoring his second goal in the third minute of stoppage time from a free-kick. Following the match, Grigoriou said that the team had taken major risks but succeeded in turning the result around.
Remaining Super League opening fixtures
The opening round of the Super League 1 season continues on Sunday with three scheduled matches across the country. OFI host Volos at 19:30, broadcast on Cosmote Sport 9, while PAOK welcome Levadiakos at 21:00 on Novasports Prime.
The Sunday evening schedule concludes at 21:30 when Panetolikos face Asteras AKTOR, broadcast on Cosmote Sport 9. Meanwhile, the fixture between Panathinaikos and Kifisia was postponed following an official request from Panathinaikos.
