Panathinaikos made it 1-0 in the semi-finals of the League Cup as they defeated Finikas Syros 3-2 sets in Ag’s indoor arena. Thomas in Maroussi, one win away from qualifying for the Institution Finals. Dimitris Andreopoulos’ players, despite being equalized twice by the Syrians (1-1 and 2-2), saw their serve cause problems receiving Finikas and took points from counterattacks.

On the other hand, Finikas tried to turn the situation around but lost the sets in detail. A misunderstanding in the tiebreak final between Galioto and Michalovic cost him and now he will look to take victory in Syros to stay alive in qualifying for the final.

The race

Both teams started the first set very well, a first set close and fought. The Syrians went into the final of the set two points apart. The impossibility of deciding from the video check for Costa’s first year and the presence of contact in the block or not, caused a disturbance on the two benches, with the first referee finally giving the guests and the greens the point to protest.

Panathinaikos didn’t leave the set, tied 23-23 and reached a set of bowls (24-23) with an ace from Jacobsen. Michalovic didn’t finish the stage, but the greens managed with protopsaltis and closed the first set.

In the second set, both teams offered a nice spectacle to Ag inside. Thomas. Once again Finikas took the lead in the final of the set, separating by three points and forcing Andreopoulos to time out. The Syrians didn’t lose their concentration and finished the second set (22:25) 1:1.

Panathinaikos stubbornly went into the third set, wanting to get their head back into the match and was up 2-3 points. Foinikas picked up vital points with his cross, but Jacobsen deflected from serve and made solutions onto the greens, which again led the sets.

In the fourth set, Finikas Syros came out determined to bring the match to a draw and earn the tie-break victory. He was three points ahead, but the Greens equalized the set in their final. After a great fight, the Syrians took the fourth set and sent the first semi-final into a tiebreak.

There the derby began and the two teams saw their differences fade away. At 12:11 in favor of Panathinaikos, Galiotos played a wrong pass and Michalovic threw the ball out with a handcuff to give the hosts a two-point advantage. Panathinaikos reached a match point, losing the first chance

THE SENTENCES: 25-23, 22-25, 25-20, 28-30, 15-13