Cretan side Ergotelis FC find themselves in third place after a 4-2 win over Asteras Tripolis FC in Tripoli on Monday night. Maris Verpakovskis finally proved his worth as the Latvian striker struck twice in the span of five minutes for an early lead for the visitors - an advantage they would not relinquish despite a stiff push for a comeback by Asteras.
Sitting in third behind leaders Panathinaikos FC and defending champions Olympiacos CFP, Asteras looked to cement their grip just behind Greece's titans by improving on an ailing home record.
Posting a comeback win over Levadiakos FC last weekend, it looked like the Arcadian club would have to do the same against the Cretans who assumed control on seventeen minutes when Verpakovskis netted his first past Matias Omar Degra.
The former FC Dynamo Kyiv striker secured a brace just five minutes later to give Ergotelis a firm 2-0 lead half-way through the first frame.
Asteras pulled a goal back in the late half as midfielder Horacio Ramon Cardozo decreased the deficit to 2-1 just before the interval.
A much more manageable task now awaited Asteras in the second half, and the hosts looked to have reached level terms when Danijel Cesarec tucked away a finish just six minutes after the restart. The goal, however, was disallowed due to suspicion of offside.
Cesarec, the Super League's leading scorer thus far, netted again on sixty-two minutes; this time though, the goal stood as the Croatian levelled the match at 2-2.
Ergotelis, though prevailed when they went ahead again on seventy-eight minutes. Dimitrios Orfanos gave the Canaries a late lead as he beat Degra, while Deividas Cesnauskis confirmed the result with a goal of his own on ninety-minutes.
Asteras Tripolis FC 2-4 Ergotelis FC Cardozo 45', Cesarec 62' - Verpakovskis 17', 22', Orfanos 78', Cesnauskis 90'
Yellow Cards: Asteras Tripolis FC - Degra 84'. Ergotelis FC - Daskalakis 26', Romano 54', Shashiashvilli 56', Frangoulakis 84', Wisio 87'.
Asteras Tripolis FC (Mario Gomez): Degra, Fytanidis, Urribarri, Lazaridis, Marcelao, Bastia, Cardozo (85' Kaounos), Carrera (46' Rios), Wilchez, Cesarecm Eder (67' Udoji).
Ergotelis FC (Nikos Karageorgiou): Daskalakis, Hieblinger,Wisio, Roubakis, Shashiashvili, Junior, Romano (80' Ogounsoto), Beto (59' Cesnauskis), Frangoulakis, Budimir, Verpakovskis (60' Orfanos).
