Panathinaikos beat Kalamata 1-0 in the fifth round of the Super League 1 at the Dimotiko Stadio Paralias on Sunday evening. Andrews Tetteh gave the visitors the lead in the thirty-third minute and that proved to be enough. The result keeps Panathinaikos at the top of the table while Kalamata remain in tenth place.
Tetteh's goal came after sustained pressure from the away side. Panathinaikos had the advantage throughout, controlling 64 per cent of possession compared to Kalamata's 36. The hosts created one big chance but could not convert, while the visitors registered three. By then the pattern was clear — Kalamata sat deep and soaked it up, looking to hit on the counter.
The match was punctuated by several bookings. Julio Alonso went off for Kalamata in the forty-second minute, followed by Kings Kangwa twelve minutes later. Antônio Josenildo Rodrigues de Oliveira received a yellow in the seventy-third, and J. Cataldi added another for Panathinaikos in stoppage time. There were no red cards and the referee kept control of a physical encounter.
Both managers made changes as the game wore on. M. Bakayoko came off for Kalamata in the fifty-seventh, while Panathinaikos brought on Azzedine Ounahi and replaced Kings Kangwa in the sixty-fifth. Erik Hamza and Andrews Tetteh were substituted in the seventy-eighth and seventy-ninth minutes respectively. Kalamata made three changes together in the eighty-fourth, bringing on Djibril Diarra, Gonzalo Agustín Piñeiro and Julio Alonso, before Levi García arrived for the visitors in the ninetieth.
The statistics tell a familiar story. Panathinaikos completed 459 passes to Kalamata's 224, and their shots on target at five versus three reflected their dominance. The hosts managed only one shot within the penalty area against five for the visitors, though their defensive work was solid with 27 clearances and 13 interceptions. Goalkeeper saves came in at four for Kalamata and three for Panathinaikos — a reminder that the away side did not travel to make up the numbers, but they did not need to.
Panathinaikos extend their perfect start to four wins from four, sitting on twelve points. Kalamata have four points from four games and are still searching for their second victory. The gap between them in the table is now eight points, and the visitors have kept their position at the summit with a hard-fought win.
