SL2 23/24: Athens Kallithea 1-0 Giouchtas

AKFC hosted newly promoted Giouchtas at Grigoris Lamprakis Stadium on Saturday afternoon, and a clutch second-half goal from captain Giannis Loukinas was enough to secure all three points in a 1-0 victory.

After a bye week, another weekend off for national elections, and a postponed match last weekend, AKFC had not played for three weeks, going back to their 3-2 win over Olympiacos B on 1 October, and the long layoff seemed to be a factor as the team struggled to get into a rhythm in the first half despite controlling possession.

AKFC’s best chance of the first half came in the 26th minute, when Demethryus broke through midfield with magnificent dribbling and played down the right wing for Panagiotis Kynigopoulos who cut the ball back into the box for Andreas Vasilogiannis, but his first-time shot was straight at the ‘keeper.

In the 34th minute, AKFC ramped up the pressure and produced three consecutive corners, but they would pass without a threat on goal. Five minutes later, Kynigopoulos latched onto a header into space on the left side and had a good look at goal, but he would miss the target with his weaker foot, and the first half would end scoreless.

Coming out of half-time, AKFC manager Alekos Vosniadis was proactive and made his first two changes of the match, with the experienced Michaël Pereira replacing Kynigopoulos on the right wing and the speedy Abdul Rahman Weiss replacing Nikos Kainourgios at left-back.

AKFC would be sharper and more in sync from the restart, and they would soon find the breakthrough.

In the 51st minute, right-back Georgios Manthatis looped a cross into the box for Loukinas, who read that ‘keeper Dimitrios Priniotaki was off his line and deftly flicked a header over Priniotaki and into the net. It was a half-chance at best, but expertly finished by the veteran striker.

Continuing to press forward, AKFC nearly doubled the lead in the 60th minute, but Javier Matilla’s free-kick smacked the crossbar. In the 77th minute, Demethryus carved through the defense once again, but his left-footed shot from an angle was stopped by Priniotaki.

Despite several chances, an insurance goal wasn’t in the cards, and AKFC would gradually shift their focus to defending the lead, with Vosniadis bringing on fresh legs in Orestis Tsintonis, Georgios Moustakopoulos, and Konstantinos Bouloulis.

In the closing minutes, Giouchtas played direct and launched the ball into the box on every occasion, but center-back duo Nicolás Marotta and Josua Mejias were dominant in the air and on the ground, winning battle after battle, as AKFC killed off the match.

Athens Kallithea (4-2-3-1): Pantos, Manthatis, Marotta, Mejías, Kainourgios (46’ Weiss), Matilla, Silva (68’ Tsintonis), Kynigopoulos (46’ Pereira), Vasilogiannis (77’ Moustakopoulos), Demethryus (85’ Bouloulis), Loukinas