Why the Athenian Derby Just Might be Greece’s Most Entertaining Derby since ‘19
Why the Athenian Derby Just Might be Greece’s Most Entertaining Derby since ‘19
By Nick Gargano,
Long gone are the days of AEK, PAOK, and Olympiakos sparring for supremacy in a refreshing period of Greek soccer where Olympiakos had a rare two-year title drought from 2017-2019. No more gun-toting owners, cup final venues set on fire, or routinely abandoned matches.
Olympiakos took care of business against the two Dikefalo clubs in the season (‘19-’20) following their two year drought and, to the discontent of anyone but an Olympiakos fan, started to turn almost every derby they played in into a one-sided affair in their favor in the process. And while every fan will miss that unique period in Greek football, it appears that the Athenian derby has risen from the ashes of that period to become the most entertaining matchup in all of Greece. Let’s take a look.
November 11th, 2019: Panathinakos-AEK 3-2
If you couldn’t tell by now, I support Panathinaikos so it’s next to impossible not to be biased when talking about anything that involves The Tryfilli. But I stand by the fact that Panathinaikos won the best derby Greece has seen since the start of the ‘19-’20 season; the famous 3-2 comeback victory against AEK that took place in November 2019.
After a rocky start to the season, Panathinaikos went down 0-2 in the 36th minute to their Athenian rivals and had fans all over the world cursing their luck as their team’s struggles continued. The greens continued to fight, however, and scored three times in the second half to seal a huge win over AEK. The game had it all, defenders scoring stunning long range goals (if you know AEK RB Michalis Bakakis’ game, you know how uncommon this goal was), lethal counterattacks worked to perfection, and a last gasp winner from the unlikely hero who spent time at both clubs, defender Dimitris Kolovetsios. The OAKA stadium was rocking all night, and the foundation to Greece’s most entertaining rivalry had been set.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
February 9th, 2020: AEK-Panathinaikos 1-0
Sure, this game didn’t have the ups and downs and amount of goals the last game had. But this game will always be known as the game when AEK cult hero Sergio Araujo announced his triumphant return to the kitrinomavri with a beautifully executed goal from outside the box. Why was the Argentine striker’s return so triumphant? Well, his last appearance in the OAKA stadium before this game happened to also be against Panathinaikos where he scored a brace, including the opening goal from almost the same exact spot on the pitch in a similar fashion. Overall, Araujo scored 13 goals in his previous stint with AEK while helping them win the league for the first time in 24 years. To say he was well received upon his return after scoring the winning goal in this edition of the Athenian derby would be an understatement.
Araujo’s last home match in before his return:
This match:
June 7th, 2020: AEK-Panathinaikos 1-1
When writing this blog and seeing just how electric the atmospheres were in the two previous matches, it was tragic to see the empty stands and rusty play from both teams following a long layoff due to the Covid-19 pandemic that swept through Europe. While the play wasn’t very refined, the players did not lack intensity as the match was open with many chances for both sides to take all three points in this playoff matchup. Panathinaikos struck first after some explosive link up play between Dominik Nagy and Federico Macheda in the 65th minute. Only 10 minutes later, however, Marko Livaja evened up the match for AEK and the two teams ended up splitting the points.
July 12th, 2020: Panathinaikos-AEK 1-3
The stakes were high for AEK in this final meeting of the season between the two sides. With only two matches to go after this edition of the Athenian derby (not to mention PAOK’s potential 7 point deduction for their multi-ownership scandal with Xanthi hanging in the balance), AEK had their sights set on overtaking PAOK in second place and qualifying for the Champions League qualifying rounds in the process. Massimo Carrera’s men took advantage of some sloppy defending from their rivals, as AEK would go on to win 1-3 and put the pressure on PAOK for second place in the process.
December 6th, 2020: AEK-Panathinaikos 1-2
“We knew this game could change everything” is what Italian striker Federico Macheda said after scoring his third goal in his career against AEK en route to a vital victory for Panathinaikos. And comments like these only reflect just how big of a derby this has become for the players of both teams in the last two years. It’s a competitive derby, it’s evenly matched, and it requires that everyone shows up on top of their game; if not, you’ve seen by now how either team can punish the other. I’m positive there were a lot of pessimistic Panathinaikos fans who thought they weren’t out of the woods yet after Macheda’s opening goal and captain Dimitris Kourbelis’ second consecutive goal against AEK put them up 0-2 heading into the second half. But Panathinaikos manager Laszlo Bölöni managed to pick up his first signature win with his new club. Just like last year, these teams look to be headed for top-4 finishes, and these crucial derbies never disappoint as they jockey for position.
Other Derbies Worthy of Consideration Since ‘19-’20
PAOK-Olympiakos: There is absolutely no love lost in this derby. Both teams are heavyweights in Greece who are not afraid to throw cash around or step into the courtrooms to fight controversy. Regardless of these external factors, the product on the pitch has still been top quality. Who could forget PAOK’s comeback 3-2 win at home in the Greek cup?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
AEK-Aris: This one is also worthy of consideration due to a tense cup semifinal matchup as well. And any derby with Aris is almost always bound to produce lots of goals.
PAOK-Aris: Currently, I think these teams and their fans hate each other more than any other two teams in Greece (of course barring Panathinaikos and Olympiakos, and maybe but probably not AEK and PAOK) and the matchups last year were almost always even.
"Big 5" derbies since the start of the 2019-2020 season, with playoff* and cup** matches included.
PAO-AEK: 3-2, 0-1, 1-1*, 1-3*, 2-1
PAO-Oly: 1-1, 0-1, 0-3, 0-0, 0-1
PAO-PAOK: 2-2, 2-0, 0-2**, 0-1**, 0-0*, 0-0*
PAO-Aris: 0-4, 0-0, 2-0*, 1-0*, 0-1
AEK-Oly: 0-2, 0-0, 1-2*, 0-3*, 0-1**
AEK-PAOK: 2-2, 0-1, 2-0*, 0-0*, 1-1
AEK-Aris: 1-1, 1-0, 2-1**, 2-2*, 2-2**, 4-1*
PAOK-Oly: 1-1, 0-1, 3-2**, 0-1*, 0-2**, 1-0*
PAOK-Aris: 2-2, 2-4, 2-0*, 0-0*
Aris-Oly: 1-2, 2-4, 1-3*, 2-4*, 1-2
Obviously, this piece is opinion based and there is no set-in-stone formula to determine which derby has been the most entertaining in Greece since the start of the ‘19-’20 season. To me, both AEK and Panathinaikos view this derby as a huge one given what their expectations for the season are. I think this is especially true when you keep in mind that both teams have experienced plenty of turmoil recently (both teams are on their third coach since the start of last season), and that both teams understand that it’s an even matchup that they want to get the absolute most out of. Lastly, both teams rely on Super League veterans, both Greek and foreign (Livaja, Mantalos, Tsintotas, Macheda, Kourbelis, Dioudis, to name a few), as well as young Greek talent (Svarnas, Macheras, Zagaritis, Alexandropoulos, and many more) much more than any other team in the Big 5 right now. What that tells me is that right now this derby just means more to the key players of both teams, and I’m sure the players who have worn both jerseys (Insua, Hult, and Kolovetsios) can back me up on that theory.
Hellas Football
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