Panathinaikos capped off the Greek Super League regular season with a 3-1 win over relegation-bound OFI Sunday evening at the OAKA Spiros Louis.
The Greens had taken a two-goal advantage after Vangelis Mantzios and Lazaros Christodoulopoulos tallied early in the second half. Though OFI responded through Jovan Kostovski, hopes of a comeback were dashed when Silva Cleyton polished off his side's performance with a well-taken effort from six yards.
It was exactly the result Henk ten Cate could have hoped for, his outfit garnering a fair amount of impetus going into their playoff campaign.
Indeed the Greens started brightly, Giorgos Karagounis forcing a sharp save from OFI goalkeeper Alexandros Kasmeridis inside five minutes.
Shortly after, Dimitris Salpingidis was causing the Cretan defense problems with a powerful piece of running down the right flank. The forward did well to create space for himself and square the ball across the face of goal, but Cleyton failed to get a telling touch with Kasmeridis stranded.
From there, OFI would look increasingly assured in defense, though they showed little desire to commit men forward. Esteban Herrera's effort on 13 minutes was their first look at goal, the Argentine picking up an Ilija Stolica layoff but scooping his effort wildly over the bar.
The hosts continued to enjoy the lion's share of possession, but lacked sufficient craft in front of goal, ultimately settling for efforts from distance that Kasmeridis was happy to deal with.
The halftime whistle brought a double substitution for Pana, Gilberto Silva and Salpingidis making way for Christodoulopoulos and Sotiris Ninis, respectively. The latter looked to make his presence felt immediately, producing an inviting corner that Mantzios rose to head toward goal, only for Kasmeridis to parry to safety.
Yet Mantzios would manage to beat the in-form keeper just six minutes later. Cleyton's through ball released the striker, who held off a challenge and kept his composure, rounding Kasmeridis before slotting into the net.
It was a deserved lead for the hosts, and one that they doubled just after the stroke of the hour. Karagounis spotted the run of Christodoulopoulos and picked him out with a neat lobbed ball. The 22-year-old would do the rest, angling his close-range volley past a hapless Kasmeridis.
The result seemed in hand for Panathinaikos until the introduction of Jovan Kostovski on 71 minutes. Within a minute of his entrance, the forward responded for OFI, beating Mario Galinovic and halving their deficit.
Yet Cleyton prevented a nervy ending for the home supporters, restoring Pana's two-goal advantage 14 minutes from time. The midfielder was the recipient of a clever Marcelo Mattos pass that caught OFI's defense out of position, and settled the ball before calmly placing past Kasmeridis from six yards out.
The Greens now turn their attention to the playoffs and encounters with PAOK, AEK, and Larissa, in the hopes of clinching a spot in the UEFA Champions League Second Qualifying Round.
