Aris Thessaloniki claimed a 3-2 victory over Kalymata at Theodoros Kolokotronis on Friday evening, taking all three points in the opening round of the Superleague 1 regular season. The Greek visitors moved to third place with six points from two matches, while the hosts remain bottom of the table with zero points after two defeats.
And here's the thing about this one — Kalymata actually took the lead through J. Bolivar in the forty-first minute, before Aris responded with a penalty converted by U. Racic just before half-time. The visitors also saw K. Vargas add a third goal in the sixtieth minute, though Bolivar had already been booked earlier in the half alongside his teammate P. Kaloutsikidis.
By then the match had settled into a pattern of Aris controlling possession and Kalymata looking to counter. The hosts made several changes around the hour mark, bringing on S. Palacios and J. Alonso, while Aris responded with G. Gianniotas and later Rodrigues. But it was a moment of discipline that changed everything — Bolivar received his second yellow and red card in the eighty-fifth minute.
That dismissal left Kalymata with ten men and Aris could have closed the game out. Instead, Fabiano found himself on the scoresheet twice in stoppage time, scoring in the eighty-eighth and ninety-third minutes to salvage something for the home side. Fabiano had already been cautioned forty-two minutes into the first half, so he was certainly involved throughout.
The numbers tell a story of control, if not conversion. Aris enjoyed sixty-three per cent of possession and registered twelve shots to Kalymata's seven, with seven finding the target compared to three for the hosts. The visitors created three big chances to Kalymata's two, though the final scoreline suggests neither side took every opportunity on offer.
For Aris, this extends their winning start to the season and keeps them in contention for a top-four finish. Kalymata will need to regroup quickly — two losses from two matches, no points, and a red card to add to their concerns before the next fixture.