AEK beat Panetolikos 5-0 with five different scorers, one point behind the Super League leaders

The goals

AEK Athens beat Panetolikos 5-0 on 24 October at the Allwyn Arena in Nea Filadelfeia, in the eighth round of the Super League. Five different players found the net, and the hosts pushed for the lead from the first minutes. Arold Moukoundi headed in from a corner taken by Mantalos, though reports place the opener in the 3rd, 4th or 5th minute depending on the outlet. Koita doubled the advantage in the 23rd minute after a pass from Vitalis, cutting inside his marker before finishing. Zini made it 3-0 in the 38th minute, tapping home after a pass from Koita.

Second half and the penalty

AEK made several changes after the break and allowed Panetolikos more of the ball, though the visitors created little. Zini was brought down inside the area by Panetolikos goalkeeper Xenopoulos, and after a VAR review the referee awarded a penalty. Barnabas Varga converted it in the 56th minute to make it 4-0. Zini also sent a strong shot against the crossbar and was denied by Xenopoulos in the same period, keeping the hosts' lead intact. Zoubkov added the fifth goal in stoppage time, in the 90+2nd minute, and it was his first official goal for the club.

Table and fixtures

The win lifted AEK to 17 points, one behind Panathinaikos on 18 at the top of the table. AEK also have one game in hand, a postponed fixture against Atromitos, according to one report. Olympiacos are third on 16 points and PAOK fourth on 15, so AEK remain in the chasing pack. Panathinaikos play Volos on 25 October at 18:00, and the teams meet again in round nine when Panathinaikos host AEK on 1 November at 21:00.

Panetolikos and the wider picture

Panetolikos, coached by Giannis Anastasiou, stay on 9 points after the heavy defeat. One outlet reported that the team has now lost five straight league matches. The result was also a sharp reversal for Panetolikos, which had been competitive in the early weeks of the campaign. For AEK, the victory came straight after two defeats in the Champions League, and the 16 goals scored in four home league games this season underline the attacking form at the Allwyn Arena. The side returned to domestic football with a clean sheet in a match where five players found the net.