AEL Larissa picked up their first win of the season in Greece's Super League 2 on Saturday, beating Zakynthos 1-0 at home thanks to an eighth-minute penalty from Makris.
Makris converted from the spot in the 8th minute, and the single goal proved enough for AEL to take all three points in a match they had to fight hard to hold onto.
Super League 2 is the second tier of Greek men's football, sitting below the Super League and serving as the promotion route into the top flight. AEL Larissa, based in the Thessaly city of Larisa, are one of the competition's traditional clubs.
Zakynthos Fight Back After Early Penalty
Zakynthos improved after the break and came close to equalising more than once. In the 47th minute, Katse struck the woodwork with a shot. Two minutes later, Gyftomitros forced a save out of goalkeeper Venetikidis, who turned the effort behind for a corner.
The visitors kept pushing. In the 57th minute, Kouadra's shot went just wide of the target. Their best chance of all came in the 73rd minute, when Neira stepped up to take a penalty but could not beat Venetikidis, who kept it out.
The score stayed at 1-0 until the final whistle, with Venetikidis's saves proving decisive in preserving AEL's lead and earning him recognition as the match's standout performer.
Starting Lineups
AEL, coached by Ofrydopoulos, lined up with Venetikidis, Sakic, Bousis, Karagiannidis (replaced by Tselepidis in the 65th minute), Risvanis, Tsigaras, Albanis (Nitsos, 58th), Andrada (Damian Silva, 66th), Kampetsis (Papageorgiou, 78th), Nikokyrakis (Parras, 78th) and Makris.
Zakynthos, under coach Amanatidis, started with Tsogas, Stikas, Gyftomitros, Petavrakis, Joao Mario (Hatzidimitriou, 77th), Pereira, Katse, Panagiotoudis, Bastakos (Natsos, 81st), Neira and Kouadra.
Super League 2 Standings
After the second round of matches, Marko lead the table with 6 points, followed by AEL on 4. Panionios and Athens Kallithea share third and fourth place with 3 points each.
- Panthrakikos, Apollon Kalamarias, Anagennisi Karditsas, Zakynthos, Nestos Chrysoupolis, Olympiacos B' and PAOK all sit on 1 point.
- PAS Pyrgos also have 1 point, while Panserraikos, Niki Volou and Asteras Aktor B' remain on zero.
- Ellas Syrou complete the 16-team table.
Matchday 2 Schedule
AEL's win came alongside Marko's 2-1 victory over Athens Kallithea on Saturday, 12 September.
Sunday, 13 September brought Niki Volou against Olympiacos B' at 16:00, Panserraikos against Asteras B' and Nestos Chrysoupolis against Pyrgos both at 17:00, and Ellas Syrou against Anagennisi Karditsas at 17:30.
The round concludes on Monday, 14 September, with Panionios hosting Apollon Kalamarias at 16:00 and Panthrakikos facing PAOK B' at 17:00.
