OFI Crete beat Olympiacos 1-0 at the Karaiskaki Stadium in Piraeus on Saturday, handing new head coach Imanol Alguacil a losing start in his first match in charge of the Greek giants. A goal from Kontro in the 66th minute settled the contest in the Stoiximan Super League.
The defeat left Olympiacos on seven points after four games. The Piraeus club will be watching Sunday's fixtures involving Panathinaikos, AEK Athens and PAOK Thessaloniki to see how far they have fallen behind in the race for the top of the table.
OFI climbed to nine points, drawing level with leaders Panathinaikos, although the Cretan side has now played one more match than the league leaders.
In Saturday's other fixture, Iraklis and Atromitos shared the points in a 1-1 draw at the Panthessaliko Stadium in Volos, a match marked by a disallowed goal for the home side in stoppage time, a post for each team, and complaints from both benches about refereeing decisions.
Olympiacos 0-1 OFI
Alguacil, a Basque coach who previously managed Real Sociedad in Spain's La Liga, saw his new side start the brighter of the two teams. Olympiacos looked to break down OFI's defence with combination football and had the better of the opening exchanges.
OFI still created the best chance of the first half, when Founta struck the crossbar in stoppage time before the interval.
Olympiacos lost their early freshness after the break and visited the OFI goal far less often. OFI made the home side pay in the 66th minute, when Kontro scored to put the visitors ahead.
Alguacil's team failed to seriously trouble the OFI goalkeeper for the rest of the match and went on to lose. Olympiacos supporters jeered their team's performance at full time, with the side showing defensive problems throughout the coach's first match in charge.
Iraklis 1-1 Atromitos
Atromitos went in search of a first Super League win of the season but had to settle for a point after drawing 1-1 with Iraklis.
Atromitos, the visiting side, started the brighter of the two teams and squandered two half-chances through new signing Perea, who twice saw his efforts held by goalkeeper Athanasiadis.
Atromitos took the lead through Tsiloulis in the 21st minute and controlled the game for the rest of the first half without finding a second goal.
Iraklis seized the initiative as soon as the second half began. Atromitos had the first big chance of the period when Tsouber struck the post in the 56th minute, before Iraklis also hit the woodwork moments later through a Lopez shot from the penalty spot.
Iraklis equalised in the 74th minute when Marques converted after a through ball from Ros. Coach Matsari's side were clearly the better team for the rest of the match, pressing for a winner that appeared to arrive through Marques in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
Players from both sides crowded around referee Katopis as he went to review the goal. The official ruled out the strike for a foul by Kousta on Stavropoulos earlier in the move, and the score stayed at 1-1 until the final whistle.
Standings and upcoming fixtures
After three rounds, Panathinaikos and Panaitolikos shared top spot on nine points, with OFI also on nine after four matches. The full table read:
- 1. Panathinaikos - 9 points
- 2. Panaitolikos - 9 points
- 3. OFI - 9 points (4 games)
- 4. AEK Athens - 7 points
- 5. Olympiacos - 7 points (4 games)
- 6. PAOK - 6 points
- 7. Aris - 6 points
- 8. Iraklis - 5 points (4 games)
- 9. Volos - 2 points
- 10. Atromitos - 2 points (4 games)
- 11. Kalamata - 1 point
- 12. Kifisia - 1 point
- 13. Asteras AKTOR - 0 points
- 14. Levadiakos - 0 points
Sunday's remaining fixtures in the round are:
- 18:00 Kalamata v Volos
- 19:00 Asteras AKTOR v AEK Athens
- 21:00 Kifisia v Levadiakos
- 21:00 PAOK v Aris
- 21:30 Panathinaikos v Panaitolikos
The fifth round of the season begins on 19 September with Atromitos hosting Kifisia and Aris travelling to face Iraklis. On 20 September, Olympiacos visit Levadiakos, Volos host AEK Athens, OFI face Asteras AKTOR at home, Kalamata host Panathinaikos, and Panaitolikos entertain PAOK.
