Panathinaikos beats Drama 1-0 in Greek league

Posted Monday, January 30, 2012 by YAHOO Sport

ATHENS, Greece (AP)—Panathinaikos kept its five-point lead over Olympiakos at the top of the Greek league with a 1-0 win Sunday at last place Drama.

Toche scored a close-range goal in the 58th minute.

Visiting PAOK beat AEK 2-0 for its first victory at Athens’ Olympic Stadium since March 1999, overtaking its opponent for third place, 13 points behind Panathinaikos.

Also Sunday, Asteras beat Atromitos 1-0, Giannena defeated Panaitolikos 1-0 and Aris beat Levadiakos 2-1.

Olympiakos beat Ergotelis 3-0 on Saturday.

Panathinaikos was missing league top scorer Sebastian Leto due to injury but almost scored in the 4th when Toche had a goal controversially disallowed for offside after a deep pass from Costas Katsouranis.

Drama came close in the 20th when Amvrosios Papadopoulos released Leonidas Kyvelidis, who beat Panathinaikos’ offside trap but was denied by goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis.

In the 58th, former Arsenal winger Quincy Owusu-Abeyie crossed from the right, Katsouranis failed to connect but Toche was there to push the ball into the net for his fifth goal this season.

Toche wasted a clear chance in the 73rd after shooting over the bar.