Aris Thessaloniki secured a 1-0 win against Marco in the third round of the Greek Cup on Wednesday evening. The match finished at the Toumba Stadium with the home side claiming a narrow victory after a goalless first half. It was a result that will please the hosts, who have struggled for consistency in recent weeks.
And here's the thing — the decisive moment came not from any great attack, but from a mistake. P. Smalis turned the ball into his own net in the sixty-third minute, giving Aris the lead they had been working for. The goal felt like it came out of nowhere, though watching the build-up, you could see Marco pushing forward with intent.
Marco came out with three changes at the break, bringing on S. Palacios, R. Mir and Fabiano in quick succession. The visitors then added T. Dele-Bashiru and L. Necul around the hour mark, showing they wanted to chase the game. Aris responded by bringing on Oiko and F. Dettler in the sixty-seventh minute, looking to see out the result.
V. Alexopoulos picked up a yellow card in the thirty-ninth minute for a challenge that caught the eye. J. Petris and I. Muller both went into the book later, with the third booking coming in stoppage time. The discipline issues did not derail the match, but they added friction to what was already a tight contest.
By then, Aris had found a way through. They came into this tie having lost 2-0 to PAOK on Sunday and 5-0 to AEK Athens earlier in September, so a cup victory was welcome relief. Marco, meanwhile, had won three of their last five competitive fixtures, including a 1-0 away win over Panserraikos.
The result keeps Aris alive in the competition while handing Marco a setback. They now travel to face whoever comes next in the draw, knowing they cannot afford another slip in domestic form.