Greek Cup 23/24: Kalamata 5-6 Athens Kallithea

Playing away to Super League 2 rivals Kalamata in the Fourth Round of the 2023/24 Greek Cup on Thursday, AKFC staged a dramatic comeback win on penalties to advance to the Round of 16 of the Greek Cup for the second consecutive season.

AKFC started on the front foot and should have taken the lead inside the first two minutes, when Demethryus and Thierry Moutinho carved open the defense on the counter to set up Panagiotis Kynigopoulos in front of goal, but Kynigopoulos’ close-range effort went straight into sliding ‘keeper Makis Giannikoglou.

AKFC would have a few more good looks at goal through the first half as they controlled the tempo, but Kalamata would take a shock lead against the run of play in the 44th minute, when ‘keeper Athanasios Pantos attempted to simply parry the ball over the bar, only for the ball to drop down behind him right on the goal line, with Giannis Pasas pouncing to tap in. It was a cruel moment, especially for a defense that was in command throughout the match, with center-back pairing Josua Mejías and Nico Marotta performing brilliantly.

Early into the second half, AKFC manager Alekos Vosniadis brought on a trio of team leaders in Giannis Loukinas, Javier Matilla, and Alaixys Romao, seeking a breakthrough to level the match.

Despite continuing to dominate the ball, clear-cut chances were hard to come by, as the hosts defended deep to protect their lead. But in the 80th minute, Loukinas would step up with a captain’s goal. Andreas Vasilogiannis had been a handful on the right wing, and as he fought to penetrate the defense, the ball broke for Loukinas, who, with his back to goal, held off his marker, turned into space, and fired a bullet past the ‘keeper. It was Loukinas' third goal of the competition, after he scored twice in the 3-0 win over Ionikos in the Third Round, and AKFC would bring the match into extra time.

There would be few chances in extra time, but tensions flared in the 113th minute when Demethryus was chopped down by Georgios Valerianos and retaliated, with both players being sent off and a bench-clearing scuffle ensuing.

Unable to break the deadlock over 120 minutes, the match was to be decided on penalties. For AKFC, Matilla, Mejías, Romao, Loukinas, and substitutes Georgios Manthatis and Georgios Moustakopoulos would convert from the sport, before Kalamata’s Marcos Moser shot over the bar to end the affair.

AKFC have a bye in the Fifth Round and straight into the Round of 16, with the first leg to be played between 31 October and 2 November and the second leg to be played between 5 and 7 December.

Athens Kallithea (4-2-3-1): Pantos, Weiss, Marotta (91’ Bouloulis), Mejías, Kainourgios (72’ Manthatis), Tsintonis (56’ Romao), Silva (56’ Matilla), Vasilogiannis, Moutinho (64’ Moustakopoulos), Demethryus, Kynigopoulos (56’ Loukinas)