derby at the Karaiskaki Stadium that left the Greens fuming about several refereeing decisions
In a game of two halves, Olympiakos dominated the first 45 minutes and Panathinaikos the second. Sebastian Leto cancelled out a Kevin Mirallas opener and both sides missed chances to win the game before Rafik Djebbour scored the winner.
The win means that the Reds are now 10 points clear with just seven games left and have one hand on the Super League trophy they lost to Panathinaikos last year.
Kick off for the big game was held up for several minutes due to the dense smoke from dozens of flares lit by the Olympiakos fans.
Panathinaikos coach Jesualdo Ferreira opted for an attacking lineup with Sotiris Ninis joining Sebastian Leto and top scorer in a forward triumvirate. But the first few minutes of the game were marked by tough tackling rather than attacking football.
The first real chance came after 14 minutes when Kevin Mirallas dragged wide his shot from the edge of the area.
The Belgian was not to be denied five minutes later. He won a foul on the edge of the box after a clumsy challenge from Gilberto Silva and ghosted behind the Panathinaikos wall to collect an inch-perfect pass from Ariel Ibagaza before turning to slot his finish beyond Alexandros Tzorvas in the Greens' goal.
The goal sparked wild celebrations and more flares from the Olympiakos fans, causing play to be held up for three minutes.
Panathinaikos's first attempt on goal came in the 28th minute when Cisse produced a tame header from Nikos Spyropoulos's cross.
The Greens threatened in similar fashion 10 minutes later when Costas Katsouranis also connected with a cross but his header also went straight into the hands of Urko Pardo.
Olympiakos carved out an opening for a second goal in the 39th minute after a good team move led to Raffik Djebbour jinking into the box but he was denied by Nikos Spyropoulos.
Panathinaikos felt they should have had a penalty in the 44th minute when Vassilis Torosidis headed the ball against his arm while under pressure from Ninis. It seemed a clear case for a spot kick but the referee blew for a foul by Ninis.
The second half got off to a slow start but Panathinaikos created an opening in the 53rd minute when Cisse latched onto a Ninis through ball but his sliding finish only found the side netting.
The equalizer came five minutes later when Leto floated a free kick into the box but the ball was missed by everyone and a despairing dive by Pardo was not enough to prevent the ball going into the net.
It was a sweet moment for the Argentinean on his 100th game in Greek football and after he became one of the few players to appear for Olympiakos and then Panathinaikos.
Olympiakos coach reacted by bringing on Brazilian midfielder Dudu for David Fuster who had not been as impressive as in recent games for the Reds.
In the 63rd, Olympiakos had their first effort on goal of the second half when Albert Riera struck a volley well but saw his shot saved by Tzorvas at the near post.
Ferreira sent on Sydney Govou for Ninis in a bid to brighten up the Panathinaikos attack and in the 72nd minute, the Greens almost had their second when Leto crossed and Cisse produced a powerful header that was clawed away by Pardo.
Olympiakos went close to their second a few minutes later as the game opened up but Dejebbour was denied at the last by Josu Sarriegi.
The Greens thought they had scored the winner in the 82nd minute from a corner when Costas Katsouranis poked the ball in at the far post after a Gilberto Silva shot but the midfielder was flagged for offside. Replays suggested that the Greek international had been onside when the Brazilian connected with the ball.
Panathinaikos's sense of injustice was even greater when Djebbour scored the winner in the first minute of injury time. The ball fell to the former AEK striker after a cross into the box, he coolly chested the ball and volleyed past Tzorvas. But Panathinaikos felt that Marko Pantelic, who had just come on as a substitute should have been flagged for offside as he was standing between Djebbour and Tzorvas when the goal was scored.
The goal was followed by a tussle between Torosidis and Leto. The Olympiakos captain was sent off for headbutting the winger.
The Reds' win was soured even further when dozens of fans ran onto the pitch at the final whistle, some of whom harassed Panathinaikos players as they were leaving the field.
source: SPORTINGREECE
