Panathinaikos become the third to fall in Cyprus

By: Peter Katsiris | October 2nd, 2008

Panathinaikos became the third Greek side to fall to defeat in Cyprus this season as the Athenian giants lost 3-1 to Anorthosis Famagusta. An early deficit became too big a hurdle to overcome for Panathinaikos who now lie at the bottom of the Group B table; meanwhile, Anorthosis guaranteed extra celebrations for a country celebrating their 48th year of independence.

The ‘Tryfili’ arrived in Cyprus cautious of the fact that their domestic rivals had previously fallen at the hands of Cypriot opposition. Panathinaikos knew the task at hand would be difficult, but the wakeup call didn’t come soon enough. Instead, an own goal from Jose Sarriegi in the eleventh minute was the earliest alert for a Panathinaikos side stunned by the breakthrough. A long throw into the box was met by a pressured Sarriegi who carelessly headed the ball towards the Panathinaikos goal. The header, so sneaky, caught keeper Mario Galinovic off guard and snuck into the right corner.

The home side added to celebrations just four minutes later, as Sinisa Dobrasinovic scored his side’s first ever goal in the Champions League Group Stage. A pinpoint cross from summer signing Savio, was met by the rising head of Dobrasinovic, who sent the ball powerfully into the goal. It was somewhat of a deja vu for the home crowd, as just over a month ago they celebrated in the midst of an early 2-0 lead over Olympiacos.

Pressured by the early defecit Panathinaikos began to attack and were fortunate to be awarded a penalty after a cross from Bryce Moon struck the forearm of Jeffrey Leiwakabessy. Dimitros Salpingidis took the kick from the spot, and the Greece international beat Arian Beqaj to cut the Anorthosis advantage to just 2-1 after only twenty-eight minutes. Gaining momentum, Panathinaikos continued the offensive pressure but final balls lacked quality as Beqaj continued to intercept crosses heading towards a Panathinaikos attacker. The away side was nearly caught just before the half-time whistle with a rather unique combination between Traianos Dellas and Lukasz Sosin nearly added to the hosts’ lead. However, this Mario Galinovic was up to the task and managed to hold onto the shot from the Greece International.

Panathinaikos’ rise to supremacy continued after the restart but even with plenty possession the Greek side was unable to convert their advantage into a second goal. The poor finishing and lack of creativity cost Panathinaikos dearly in the later parts of the match. Savio found new life in his 34-year-old legs, and Anorthosis began to cause more problems for a weak Panathinaikos’ back line. The effort finally paid off as Savio played provider off a corner from the former-Real Madrid star, and second half substitute Hawar Taher ensured Anorthosis of an upset over the ‘Tryfili’. Not only was the match sealed, but Taher became the first Iraqi to in the premier European club competition.

The group’s other fixture saw Werder Bremen avoid defeat in Italy by holding Inter Milan to 1-1 at the San Siro. Despite being held by their German opponents, Jose Mourinho’s Internazionale still lead the section.

With the loss Panathinaikos drop to the bottom of the group and will need to collect maximum points against Werder Bremen on October 22nd to keep their hopes of contention alive. On the same day Inter Milan will welcome Anorthosis in an attempt to ground the high-flying Cypriots.

Man of the match: The honour of the Fans’ Man of the Match presented by Vodafone was awarded to Anorthosis Famagusta playmaker Savio. The Brazilian played a large part in Anorthosis’ success on this night; his incredible vision was the catalyst in the plays leading to many of Anorthosis’ goals.

Anorthosis Famagusta 3-1 Panathinaikos
Sarriegi (o.g.) (11′), Dobrasinovic (15′), Taher (78′) – Salpingidis (pen.) (28′)

Yellow Cards:
Anorthosis Famagusta — Leiwakabessy (27′), Katsavakis (71′).
Panathinaikos — Gilberto (77′), Goumas (81′), Salpingidis (90+’)

Anorthosis Famagusta (Timur Ketsbaia): Beqaj, Katsavakis, Nicolau, Dellas, Dobrasinovic, Sosin (64′ Hawar), Paulo Costa (46′ Bardon), Leiwakabessy, Savio (82′ Panagi), Laban, Constantinou.

Panathinaikos (Henk Ten Cate): Galinovic, Moon (67′ Souza), Vyntra, Sarriegi, Goumas, Mattos, Silva (80′ Tziolis), Cleyton, Christodoulopoulos (72′ Ivanschitz), Salpingidis, Spiropoulos.

Referee: Eric Braamhaar (Netherlands)
Assistants: Arie Brink (Netherlands), J.F. Hans Olde Olthof (Netherlands)
Fourth official: Richard Liesveld (Netherlands)

Venue: GSP Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus