Garre Strikes Late as Aris Win 2-1 at Kifisia

By Taki Panos

For 88 minutes on Sunday night it looked like a fair, slightly frustrating draw. Then Benjamin Garre kept his cool and settled it. The Argentine winger scored in the 89th minute to give Aris a 2-1 win away to Kifisia in the seventh round of the Stoiximan Super League on October 18, 2026, as Gazzetta and Sport24 both reported. Bruma had put Aris ahead from the penalty spot before Angelo Sagal equalised with a beauty early in the second half.

A word of context for newer readers. Kifisia are the club from the leafy northern suburbs of Athens (our guide to Kifisia explains why the area is famous for far more than football), and this season they play their home games at the Apostolos Nikolaidis stadium on Leoforos Alexandras, the historic home of Panathinaikos. Aris, the yellow and black side from Thessaloniki, arrived on the back of a 3-2 home win over Volos and wanted a second straight win. They got it.

Michalis Grigoriou saw no reason to change a winning team. Gazzetta noted that the Aris coach named the same starting eleven that beat Volos, sticking with a 4-4-2 that had Kadewere and Kouame up front, with Bruma and Garre on the wings. Sebastian Leto made only one change for Kifisia. The hosts started brighter, but Aris pressed well and took control of the first half, per Gazzetta.

The opening goal came with a twist. In the 26th minute, a Garre shot from outside the box struck the hand of a Kifisia defender, and referee Fotis Daoulas pointed to the spot, Sport24 and Gazzetta reported. Bruma's first attempt was saved by Kifisia goalkeeper Ramirez, but after a VAR check the kick was ordered to be retaken, because a Kifisia player had stepped into the area before the shot and then cleared the loose ball. Gazzetta's own refereeing verdict called both the penalty and the retake correct.

Bruma made no mistake the second time. In the 32nd minute the Portuguese forward sent his kick into the top corner for 1-0, his first goal for his new club, per Sport24. Gazzetta added a remarkable detail: it was his first goal in 20 months, a gap that includes a long injury layoff. His previous goal was the 1-0 winner for Benfica away to Santa Clara on February 15, 2025.

Kifisia nearly struck back before the break, and Aris nearly doubled the lead. In stoppage time of the first half, Kadewere found himself one on one with Ramirez and was denied, as both Sport24 and Gazzetta described. It was one of several moments when an Aris striker could have made life easier and did not.

The second half began at a much higher tempo, and that suited the hosts. In the 53rd minute, Sagal curled a superb left-footed shot from outside the box into the corner to make it 1-1, Sport24 and Gazzetta reported, and the Chilean celebrated by blowing up a balloon, per Sport24. Gazzetta rated him the best player on the pitch, and it is hard to argue. He was a constant problem for the Aris defence until he came off with 17 minutes left.

Both sides then had chances to win it. Around the 70th minute, Kouame went round Ramirez but could not find either of two free teammates, and Kifisia defender Van Eijma got there first, as Gazzetta and Sport24 described. A minute later Theodoridis produced a fine solo run for Kifisia, only to be stopped by a strong save from the Aris goalkeeper. Then both coaches turned to their benches.

Rafa Mir, on as a 72nd minute substitute, made a superb run down the right in the 89th minute and fired the ball across the box. Kifisia's Manso half cleared it, and Garre, arriving at speed, dummied his marker and finished calmly for 2-1, according to Sport24 and Gazzetta. Kifisia's last chance was an acrobatic shot by Rougkounakis that flew over the bar, per Gazzetta. Gazzetta named Garre the man of the match, and columnist Vasilis Vlachopoulos called it a welcome return to form for a player who had been stuck in a dip.

Grigoriou was pleased with the attitude, less so with the finishing. "We played against a good team, with good fitness, that runs, presses and has good players," he told the broadcaster after the game (translated from Greek), per Gazzetta and Metrosport. He admitted Aris gave the ball away three times from promising positions and conceded from one of those counterattacks. "After Kifisia's equaliser it did not get us down psychologically and we kept pushing for the win. We did not give up on the game," he added (translated from Greek), per Gazzetta.

He also had a broader message for his players. "Achieving your goals does not come only from the derbies. Even the team that wins the championship does not win it from the derbies but from all the games," Grigoriou said (translated from Greek), per Gazzetta and Metrosport. The table backs him up. According to Gazzetta's standings, Aris are now fifth with 13 points, one behind AEK, who have a game in hand after their weekend fixture was postponed. Panathinaikos lead with 18, ahead of Olympiacos on 16 and PAOK on 15, while Kifisia sit 10th with 8.

My take: this was not a pretty win, and Gazzetta's Vlachopoulos was right to point at the wasteful finishing of the two strikers, which is the real worry for Aris. But good teams win games like this, and the positives are real. Bruma scoring again after 20 months is a lovely story, Garre looks like himself again, and, as Vlachopoulos also noted, this was the first time the Aris substitutes really changed a match. Two wins in a row will not win a title. It does put Aris back in the conversation.

Up next, Aris host Atromitos at Kleanthis Vikelidis on Sunday, October 25, while Kifisia travel north to face Iraklis at the Kaftanzoglio on Saturday, October 24, as Gazzetta and Sport24 listed. Aris then visit Panathinaikos in the Greek Cup on October 28, per Sport24. Heading to Thessaloniki for a game? Make a weekend of it. Keep an eye on our Greek Sports section for more. Aris fans will sleep well this week.

Sources: Gazzetta, Sport24, Metrosport.

Image: Old Aris crest, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).