Reds close in on title as AEK downs PAO

Olympiakos became on Sunday the clear favorite to win another soccer championship after widening its lead at the top of the Super League table to four points. The Reds thrashed 10-man Aris 3-0, with goals from Ivan Marcano, Jose Holebas and Kevin Mirallas, while the Thessaloniki club had its keeper Michalis Sifakis sent off just before halftime. Panathinaikos suffered its second loss in as many games, going down 2-0 to Athens rival AEK at their shared Olympic Stadium, in front of some 25,000 AEK fans. As in its recent loss to PAOK, the Greens were a shadow of the team that had led the league by up to five points, with AEK exploiting the chances it got to score in the second half through a Leonardo freekick and a Viktor Klonaridis strike. Atromitos is fifth after beating Doxa 2-0, while sixth-placed Asteras Tripolis upset host PAOK, in third, winning 3-2 at Thessaloniki. In other games, it was OFI 0 Panionios 1, Kerkyra 2 Xanthi 0, PAS Giannina 2 Levadiakos 0, and Panetolikos 2 Ergotelis 0. Next weekend sees the classic Greek derby of Panathinaikos against Olympiakos at the Olympic Stadium. 

Ekathimerini.com