Roca and Chiquinho Fire Olympiacos to 2-0 Win at Panaitolikos

By Taki Panos

Not every win has to be pretty. Some just have to show up on time. Olympiacos beat Panaitolikos 2-0 in Agrinio on Sunday, October 18, in the seventh round of the Stoiximan Super League, with goals from Joel Roca and Chiquinho, Sport24 reported. It was their fifth straight win in all competitions, as Novasports and the club's own website both noted, and it came only a few days after a big European night in France that people in Piraeus are still smiling about.

For anyone just tuning in, Olympiacos are the Piraeus giants, coached this season by Basque manager Imanol Alguacil, while Panaitolikos are the club from Agrinio in western Greece, coached by Giannis Anastasiou. The visitors arrived fresh from a 1-0 Europa League win at Marseille days earlier. Alguacil made seven changes to the team that started in France, Gazzetta reported, with Manolis Saliakas suspended and Marcus Pedersen starting at right back. Kostas Fortounis, Roca and striker Marius Mouandilmadji were among those handed a start.

Olympiacos started quickly. Roca tested goalkeeper Xenopoulos inside the first two minutes, and Fortounis put a good chance wide on 13 minutes after a neat backheel from Mouandilmadji, per Sport24 and iefimerida. The breakthrough came four minutes later. Fortounis hit a low left-footed shot from outside the box, Xenopoulos pushed it away, and Roca was first to the rebound to finish from close range, as Sport24, Gazzetta and ERT Sports all described it. It was the Spanish winger's first league goal for Olympiacos, in.gr and Sportal noted. Not a goal for the highlight reel, but they all count the same.

The home side did not fold. Manrique sent a shot just over the bar on 26 minutes, and just past the half hour Mejia made a lovely run down the right and found Basi in the box, only for Basi to put it wide, per Gazzetta and iefimerida. Defender Tiknizyan also had to throw himself in front of an Opoku shot in first half stoppage time, Novasports and in.gr reported, to keep it at 1-0.

The first half also brought the worrying news of the day for Olympiacos. Fortounis felt discomfort and had to come off before the break, with Gelson Martins taking his place, Sport24 and in.gr reported. Both outlets added that he will undergo tests to find out how serious the problem is. With another European game coming on Thursday, nobody in red and white wants a long absence here.

After the break, Panaitolikos pushed and Olympiacos sat deeper. In.gr suggested that was partly by choice and partly tired legs after a draining run of games, and Sportal wrote that the visitors barely showed up between the 45th and 65th minutes. Pirola made a vital tackle on Mejia inside the box just before the hour, per Sport24 and Gazzetta. Then came the moment that kept the lead alive. In the 64th and 65th minutes, Erakovic found space in the box twice, and twice German goalkeeper Stefan Ortega stopped him, as Sport24, ERT Sports and iefimerida all reported. Two huge saves inside a minute.

Alguacil's answer came from the bench. On 63 minutes he sent on his two Portuguese attacking players, Chiquinho and Jota Silva, and in.gr credited the pair with settling the match. Ten minutes later they combined for the goal that did it. Jota Silva laid the ball off to Chiquinho just outside the area, and Chiquinho curled it into the top right corner past Xenopoulos for 2-0 in the 73rd minute, per Sport24, Gazzetta and SDNA. Sport24 noted it was his first league goal of the season, and Novasports counted 305 days since his previous goal. He then playfully dusted off his teammate's boot in celebration, as both Sport24 and Gazzetta pointed out. Very polite.

Panaitolikos still had one more big moment. Esteban hit the post with a low shot from the edge of the box in the 83rd minute, according to Sport24, Gazzetta and SDNA, and in stoppage time Thymianis made a last-ditch tackle to stop Jota Silva from adding a third, Sport24 and Novasports reported. Gazzetta named Ortega and Chiquinho as joint men of the match, while SDNA wrote that Panaitolikos, on the evidence of the second half in particular, might have deserved a goal. I would not argue too hard with either verdict.

Alguacil was honest about how the afternoon went. Speaking to Magenta TV, he said: "We played a very good first half. It is a shame that with two mistakes we gave them the chance to threaten us" (translated from Greek), per Gazzetta and Novasports. He added: "In games like this it is logical to suffer, but with the changes we balanced it" (translated from Greek), and called it a fair win, according to Gazzetta and Sportal.

The numbers look healthier too. Olympiacos moved to 16 points, while Panaitolikos stayed on nine, according to ERT Sports and iefimerida. It was a third straight league win for Olympiacos, in.gr and iefimerida noted, following the 1-0 derby win over Panathinaikos last time out. Elsewhere on Sunday, Kalamata beat OFI 4-3 with a stoppage time winner, per Sport24 and SDNA. That matters here, because Kalamata are next up for Olympiacos in the league, and this is the same Kalamata side that won 3-1 at PAOK's Toumba earlier this month.

My take: this was the kind of game good teams win and average teams draw. Olympiacos were sharp for half an hour, sloppy for twenty minutes and then decisive when it mattered, which is a fair summary of any squad playing every three days. Alguacil changed seven players and still came home with three points, and that says more about the depth of this roster than the scoreline does. The real concern is Fortounis. If he is out for a while, more of the creative load shifts to Chiquinho, and on Sunday's evidence he looks ready for it.

Next up, Olympiacos host Sparta Prague at the Karaiskakis Stadium on Thursday, October 22, in the Europa League, as the club and in.gr both noted, before welcoming Kalamata in the league on Sunday, October 25, per Sport24 and ERT Sports. Keep an eye on our Greek Sports section for more from the Super League and beyond. Five in a row, and the schedule is not slowing down.

Sources: Sport24, Gazzetta, SDNA, Novasports, Sportal, in.gr, iefimerida, ERT Sports, Olympiacos FC.

Image: Olympiacos F.C. crest, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0).