Greek Cup: Aris and AEL reach the League Phase

Aris and AEL Novibet secured their qualification for the League Phase of the Greek Cup Superbet on Monday, August 17, both winning away in their second qualifying round matches. In Karditsa, Aris beat Anagennisi 2-0, settling the qualification within seventeen minutes of the second half. The first goal came in the 49th minute from Fandiga, who converted a rebound after goalkeeper Theodoropoulos saved a shot from Garre. The second arrived in the 66th minute, with a header from Mir following a cross from Garre. Apostolos Charalampidis was on the bench for Anagennisi and Michalis Grigoriou for Aris.

The Karditsa match also had two contentious moments. In the 36th minute a goal by Rafa Mir was disallowed, a decision that, according to the TA NEA report, was mistaken and prompted strong protests from the visiting side. Shortly afterward an unusual incident occurred: while play was underway, the pitch’s sprinklers suddenly switched on, with water falling onto the field and surprising both players and spectators. The incident does not appear to have affected the outcome of the match. The Karditsa ground hosted the match with a kick-off time of 18:00, as part of the competition’s second qualifying round.

In the day’s second match, AEL Novibet beat Athens Kallithea 3-1, with Konstantinos Papageorgiou the standout performer, scoring two of his team’s three goals. The 25-year-old forward opened the scoring in the 44th minute from the penalty spot, after a handball by Matijevic inside the box, sending the ball to the right as Angelopoulos dived the other way. In the second half he scored his second personal goal with a placed shot, following a through pass from Makris. Athens Kallithea pulled one back in the 86th minute with a curling shot from Michalis Manias, but in stoppage time Christos Albanis made it 1-3, scoring for the first time in Larissa’s colours.

The League Phase is the competition’s new format, in which teams play in a single standings table instead of classic knockout groups, following the model UEFA has also adopted for its European competitions. For Aris and AEL, qualification means guaranteed high-level matches throughout the season and the corresponding revenue. The day’s schedule also included a third match, between Iraklis and Volos at the Serres Municipal Stadium, kicking off at 21:00, the result of which was not known at the time of publication. More sports stories on the Sports page.