Ofori Inspires Atromitos Comeback as Volos Lose 3-1 in Garrido's Debut

By Taki Panos

Atromitos showed real character on Thursday evening. Dusan Kerkez's side went a goal down inside eight minutes at the Panthessaliko Stadium, then turned the game around with three goals in eleven minutes and beat Volos 3-1 in the fourth round of the Greek Cup league phase. Kelvin Ofori was the spark, scoring once and setting up another, per the Hellenic Football Federation and Gazzetta.

The night carried extra interest because it was the first game for Juan Carlos Garrido on the Volos bench. The former Villarreal coach arrived this week after the club parted ways with Kostas Bratsos, and Volos fans were hoping for a fresh start. For about ten minutes, they got exactly that.

The opener came on eight minutes. Komba sent a long ball forward, Mendil got in behind the Atromitos defense and cut it back, and Charalampoglou had the simple job of finishing into an empty net, per Ta Nea and Sport FM. It was a quick, direct goal, the kind that lifts a home crowd, and it looked like the new coach might enjoy a dream debut.

Atromitos answered almost at once. On eleven minutes Ofori played a neat one-two with Pnevmonidis and slipped his shot under Siampanis to make it 1-1, per Gazzetta and iefimerida. Two minutes later the visitors were ahead. Papadopoulos delivered a cross from the left and Moutoussamy rose to head it in for 2-1, per the federation and Sport FM.

The third goal arrived on 22 minutes and again Ofori was at the heart of it. The Ghanaian winger ran at the defense from the right and sent in a cutback that deflected off Volos defender Agyakwa and into his own net, per Sport FM, iefimerida and Gazzetta. In the space of eleven minutes a promising evening for Volos had turned upside down.

There was bad news for Atromitos too. Moutoussamy, their goalscorer, had to come off after 32 minutes and was replaced by Tsingaras, per Ta Nea and Gazzetta. Volos kept pushing before the break, and on 41 minutes Charalampoglou tried an acrobatic overhead kick that Dieng saved at the second attempt, per Gazzetta and Sportdog.

The first half still had one more twist. Deep into stoppage time Tsiloulis was brought down by Kargas and the referee pointed to the spot. Tsiloulis took the penalty himself but sent it over the bar, per Gazzetta, iefimerida and Sportdog, so the gap stayed at two goals heading into the dressing rooms.

The second half was a much calmer affair. Garrido made three changes at the break, bringing on Ngiou, Tasiouras and Hurtado, per the federation's line-ups, but Volos struggled to create clear chances against a well organized Atromitos side. Tsakmakis missed a good opportunity for the visitors just after the hour, and on 74 minutes Siampanis made a fine save from Papadopoulos to keep the score at 3-1, per Ta Nea and Gazzetta.

Kerkez made his own changes late on, sending on Serginho and Tsuber after 71 minutes and then Kotsis and Perea in the closing stages, per the federation's line-ups. Atromitos started with Dieng in goal, a back line of Mountes, Tsakmakis, Magnusson and Papadopoulos, and Karamanis and Moutoussamy in midfield behind Ofori, Tsiloulis, Pnevmonidis and Tsantilas. The visitors managed the rest of the game sensibly and never let Volos build real pressure.

The win puts Atromitos on six points from three games in the league phase, level with AEK and in fifth place, per iefimerida and Ta Nea. Olympiacos and Panathinaikos lead with nine points, with PAOK on seven after their 3-1 win over AEK on Wednesday. Atromitos are now sure of at least a playoff spot, per iefimerida, and they can still chase a top four finish, which means a direct place in the quarterfinals. Volos stay on one point.

It was also a timely result for Atromitos after a tough few days. On Sunday they lost 3-1 to Aris in Thessaloniki in the Super League, and Kerkez admitted afterwards that when results do not come, the problem becomes a psychological one as well. Winning away from home, and coming from behind to do it, is a good way to fix that.

My take: Ofori was the difference tonight, and Sport FM named him man of the match for good reason. He scored one, created the own goal, and gave Volos problems every time he ran at them. For Garrido, there is no need to panic. One game is far too early to judge a new coach, and the opening ten minutes showed the kind of football he wants. The problem was the eleven minutes that followed.

These two teams will not have to wait long for a rematch. They meet again on Monday, November 2, in Peristeri, this time in the Super League, per Gazzetta and the league schedule. In the final round of the cup league phase in December, Atromitos host Nestos Chrysoupolis while Volos travel to OFI in Heraklion needing a win, per Gazzetta. For the rest of the week's results, keep an eye on our Greek Sports section. Round two is only four days away.

Sources: Hellenic Football Federation (EPO), Gazzetta, Sport FM, Ta Nea, iefimerida, Sportdog.

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