SL2 23/24: Ionikos 0-1 Athens Kallithea

With a gritty team performance, AKFC earned a 1-0 derby victory away to promotion challengers Ionikos on Sunday afternoon in Matchday 8 of the 2023/24 Super League 2 season.

AKFC nearly took an early lead when Orestis Tsintonis stripped the ball from ‘keeper Georgios Chistodoulis and poked it over to Giannis Loukinas who took a touch and fired at goal, but Chistodoulis recovered in time and made a big save on the shot.

Besides a free-kick that was headed down and wide of the post by Ionikos striker Abiola Dauda, AKFC were air tight in defense and were creating the better of the chances through the first half, with Nicolás Marotta volleying wide from a corner kick in the 30th minute and Panagiotis Kynigopoulos seeing a dangerous shot blocked in the 32nd minute, and they would soon find a breakthrough.

In the 38th minute, Kynigopoulos took on his marker on the right wing, creating enough space to whip a cross into the box, and when Loukinas made the near post run to draw the attention of the defense, Tsintonis was unmarked at the back post to stuff the ball in.

For Tsintonis, it was his first goal of the season, coming in his second consecutive start, as the 24-year-old has risen to the occasion when called upon.

AKFC went very close to doubling the lead just two minutes later when Demethryus ran at the defense and cut inside from the left wing, but his shot went over the bar and the first half would come to an end.

In the second half, Ionikos’ best chance to equalize would come from a counterattack in the 56th minute, with ‘keeper Konstantinos Kotsaris making an excellent save on an angled shot.

Loukinas missed a good chance to make it 0-2 in the 65th minute, volleying over the bar on a looping cross from Konstantinos Bouloulis, but in the end one goal was all that was needed, as AKFC were resolute and physically tough from midfield to defense, killing off the match and grabbing three important points.

Athens Kallithea (4-3-3): Kotsaris, Bouloulis, Marotta, Mejías, Manthatis, Matilla, Moustakopoulos, Tsintonis (71’ Vasilogiannis), Kynigopoulos (59’ Silva), Loukinas (90’ Vlachos), Demethryus (90’ Pozatzidis)