Dessers Strikes as Panathinaikos Beat Volos 1-0 to Stay Top

By Taki Panos

Rain, loud travelling fans and a goalkeeper having the game of his life. It had all the makings of a frustrating Sunday for Panathinaikos, and then Cyriel Dessers made it simple. His goal right after halftime gave the Greens a 1-0 win over Volos at the Panthessaliko Stadium in round 8 of the Super League, as both ERT Sports and in.gr reported. The result keeps Panathinaikos at the top of the table with 21 points, one week before a huge derby against AEK in Athens.

For anyone just catching up, this has been a busy and very good week for Jacob Neestrup's side. They routed Asteras 5-1 last Sunday, in a game we covered when Louza starred and Panathinaikos went back to the top, and then flew all the way to Kazakhstan, where Dessers scored twice in a 5-1 rout of Kairat in the Conference League on Thursday. Sunday's win was their fourth in a row in all competitions, in.gr noted. A long trip home, a short turnaround and a wet pitch. Classic banana-skin territory.

Volos chose to sit deep from the opening whistle. In.gr described a home side that handed Panathinaikos the ball and defended in two compact lines, which left the visitors with plenty of possession but not much room inside the box. The Greens still created chances. Midway through the first half Dessers went around goalkeeper Siampanis but, from a tight angle, could only find the post, according to both outlets.

The best chance of the half came around the 40th minute. Kamara swung in a cross from the right, Van Drongelen met it at the back post with a header from close range, and Siampanis blocked it on instinct for a corner, as ERT Sports and in.gr both described. Calabria then tried his luck from the edge of the area and saw his shot drift just wide. Panathinaikos went into the break with total control of the game and nothing on the scoreboard.

It took about a minute of the second half to change that. Tetteh picked up the ball out wide on the left and whipped a cross toward the far post, where Dessers arrived on the move and placed his finish past Siampanis for 1-0 in the 46th minute, per both reports. It was the kind of goal strikers live on: one touch, right place, right time. In.gr summed it up neatly, writing that Dessers had once again provided the solution.

The goal gave Panathinaikos a lift and they nearly doubled the lead almost straight away. Levi Garcia hit a first-time shot from inside the box, in.gr said after a fine cutback from Salah-Eddine, and the ball came back off the post. Later, substitute Rastoder ran through one-on-one, but Siampanis got there first to save, both outlets reported. That made it two shots off the woodwork and a string of saves from the Volos goalkeeper, who kept the home side alive far longer than the run of play suggested.

Volos coach Kostas Bratsos made changes at halftime and again just after the hour, but his team struggled to string passes together. In.gr wrote that Panathinaikos switched Volos off completely, and that the hosts only produced one real chance, a strong shot from Pierre-Gabriel in stoppage time that flew just wide. Seconds later Siampanis denied Dessers one more time from close range, as ERT Sports and in.gr both noted, and the final whistle confirmed a 1-0 away win that was more comfortable than the score looks.

Neestrup was happy with what he saw. "I am completely satisfied with our performance," he said after the game, as ERT Sports reported (translated from Greek). "I think we showed excellent discipline today. We had an outstanding first 75 minutes, with total control of the game. In the last ten minutes things are always difficult when you are only one goal ahead, but overall my players gave a top performance." He also pointed to the travel, saying that less than three days earlier the team had been "literally next to the border with China."

He had a smile about the weather too. Asked about the fans chanting for the title, Neestrup said, per ERT Sports (translated from Greek): "I don't know exactly what they are shouting, but the atmosphere is amazing. It's like we have 15,000 Panathinaikos fans following us everywhere. I think today we had the worst weather since I came from Copenhagen. That was definitely not part of my deal!" He added that it meant a lot to reward the travelling supporters with a win.

There is a bigger story around Volos this season, and it matters for the table. The club were docked three points by the Ethics Committee of the Hellenic Football Federation on October 1, after an investigation into their 2024-25 playout games against Panserraikos, as Gazzetta and SKAI reported at the time. Volos have appealed, and Regista reported that a decision is expected by the end of October. For now, the deduction leaves them at the bottom of the Super League, per Gazzetta and ERT Sports.

At the top, the picture is getting interesting. After Sunday's games Panathinaikos have 21 points, Olympiacos have 19 after their 5-0 win over Kalamata earlier in the day, and AEK sit on 17 with a game in hand, according to in.gr's table. Three big clubs, two points apart, with close to a third of the regular season gone. Anyone who expected a quiet autumn in Greek football has not been paying attention.

My take: this is the kind of win that tells you more than a 5-1. Panathinaikos were not brilliant in front of goal, they hit the post twice and ran into a goalkeeper in great form, yet they never looked like losing. That is maturity. Dessers is the man in form, with three goals in two matches this week. If he keeps finishing like this, the Greens have a real chance to stay in front for a while.

Next up is the big one. Panathinaikos host AEK at the Olympic Stadium in Athens on Sunday, November 1, at 7:00 PM Athens time, per the in.gr fixture list, while Volos welcome Atromitos the next day. A derby with first place on the line and the whole city watching. For more on Greek clubs and athletes around the world, keep an eye on our Greek Sports section. One week to wait. Bring an umbrella just in case.

Sources: ERT Sports, in.gr, Gazzetta, SKAI, Regista.

Image: Panathinaikos FC crest, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).