Kalamata and Larisa drew 1-1 in the third round of the Greek Cup on Thursday afternoon. The match at the Kalamata stadium ended with both sides sharing the points after 90 minutes of play. It was a result that changed little in the immediate standings but carried weight for whoever advances next.
A. Parras picked up a yellow card at the quarter-hour mark for a challenge. The game settled into a rhythm until V. Nikokyrakis found the net just before the break. He finished a sequence that had been building since the opening exchanges. By then, Larisa were second to everything in midfield.
Larisa made 2 changes at the hour, bringing on Diarra and Angelis together. They worked the channels until J. Bolivar struck in the 83rd minute. The goal came from a quick turnover that caught Kalamata napping. And here's the thing about these cup ties — they rarely go as planned.
The final minutes brought a flurry of bookings. The stadium fell silent in those last moments. To be fair, the game had already settled.
Kalamata held 61 per cent possession and created more attacks, but the numbers tell only part of the story. Both sides registered 3 shots on target, though Larisa went off target 7 times. The statistics show a match where chances went begging. Big chances created stood at 0 for both teams.
The draw means both sides continue in the competition for now. Kalamata had lost 2 times in their last 5 before this result. Larisa bounced back from their heavy defeat to Olympiacos earlier in September.