AEK beat Panathinaikos and clinched the Super League title on Sunday, as suitors Olympiakos and PAOK canceled each other out.

An injury-time strike by Joao Mario turned things around and completed AEK’s comeback in the Athens derby to give it a 2-1 victory and the mathematical confirmation of its first league title after three years.

With two games left to play, AEK has 70 points, while PAOK and Olympiakos follow with 62, after they drew 1-1 in Piraeus.

At one point in the evening, with the two games held simultaneously, Olympiakos appeared to edge within three points of AEK, as it led PAOK and AEK found itself trailing at home to Panathinaikos – with the last game of the season due to be AEK vs Olympiakos. However PAOK quickly equalized in Piraeus and AEK found two goals within 20 minutes to reverse its deficit and win the championship title.

Panathinaikos presented a stronger than-expected resistance to its host, AEK, at the Allwyn Arena, and grabbed the lead just after the hour mark with an Andreas Tetteh header.

However the introduction of Zini changed the picture of the game, with the Angolan striker equalizing six miniutes later and the offering a precious contribution to AEK’s most famous goal on the 93rd minute: That was when Joao Mario got the ball being unmarked in the box, from a Luka Jovic pass, to slot it home and set Nea Filadelfia alight.

At the same time, at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus, Olympiakos and PAOK shared the points, a result that leaves PAOK with the relative advantage in the race for Greece’s second Champions League ticket.

Olympiakos took the lead after an hour’s game with Rodinei, but Giannis Konstantelias drew PAOK level eight minutes on.

For the 5-8 playoffs on Sunday, Aris downed OFI 3-1 and Levadiakos defeated host Volos 3-0.

The big battle to avoid relegation continued, with Asteras Tripolis securing a precious point at bottom team Larissa (1-1), Panserraikos losing ground with its 2-1 home loss to Kifissia, and Panetolikos coming from behind to beat Atromitosd 2-1 away and steer clear of trouble.

With three rounds of games left to play in the play-outs, Atromitos is on 40 points, Kifissia on 37, Panetolikos reached 34, Asteras climbed to 29, Panserraikos stayed on 28 and Larissa has 26.

Source: Ekathimerini.com