Aris beats Atromitos 3-1 with three first-half goals, briefly reaching top four

Three first-half goals settle the match

Aris took the lead in the third minute, when Fabiano headed in a cross from the right, according to several outlets. Atromitos replied in the eighth or ninth minute, depending on the report, when Tsoumper played a pass behind the home defence and Serginho finished past Velio. Kouame restored the lead in the 23rd minute, following up a Kanteverde shot that Atromitos goalkeeper Chouteziotis could only parry. Petris made it 3-1 in the 27th minute, so the hosts had scored three times in 27 minutes.

Disallowed goal and the penalty decision

Gare's goal in the 38th minute was ruled out after referee Stavros Tsimenteridis consulted VAR, which found a handball by the Argentine winger before the shot. Aris also protested a possible handball by Magnusson before Serginho's equaliser, but the referee and VAR allowed that goal to stand. The club voiced its displeasure about the decisions in an Instagram message posted during the match, according to SKAI. In stoppage time of the second half, the referee first pointed to the spot for a challenge by Hongla on Tsoumper, but VAR showed the foul happened outside the box and the decision was reversed. Tsoumper's free kick was then saved by Velio, and the score stayed 3-1 until the final whistle.

Lineups and a tactical switch

Grigoriou kept the same starting eleven for the third match in a row, with Velio in goal, Petris, Fabiano, Soutalo and Richards in defence, Hongla and Ratsitis in midfield, Gare and Brouma on the flanks, and Kouame and Kanteverde up front. Dusan Kerkez made three changes from the previous match, bringing in Tsakmakis, Papadopoulos and Serginho. Atromitos lined up in a 3-4-3 system, which SKAI reported Kerkez used for the first time this season. Garthia and Mutusami started in the centre of midfield, while Tsoumper and Serginho played as wide attackers with Perea as the lone striker.

Standings and what comes next

The win took Aris to 16 points, which SKAI reported moved it temporarily into the top four. in.gr noted that Aris was waiting on PAOK, which trailed OFI 1-0 at the time of writing, to see whether it would stay there. Atromitos stayed on 2 points and second from bottom, and in.gr counted this as its fifth defeat of the season. Aris faces a Cup tie against Panathinaikos in a short time, according to the match coverage, although no date was given.