Napoli knockout Panionios

Panionios became the third Greek club in the history of the Intertoto Cup to be knocked out of the competition in the final round, after another 1-0 loss to SSC Napoli on Saturday. Panionios were underdogs heading to Naples, as Napoli held a 1-0 aggregate lead heading into the decisive leg.

It was Panionios who looked promising to break the deadlock in the first half when Lambros Choutos broke free in the Napoli box. Unfortunately for the former Olympiacos striker, he could only muster a strike that hit the bar. Panionios’ Dario Kresic was busy at the other end, as Napoli had three brilliant efforts to score. The latter of the three, forced the Croatian goalkeeper to make an incredible save.

The second half was not as eventful, but the home fans got what they paid for. A header from German Denis found the feet of Marek Hamsik, and the Slovakian international slotted the ball past Kresic. 1-0 for Napoli, and the Azzurri were set on cruise control until the final whistle.

The Panionios loss eliminates them from any further European play for this season, and limits the number of Greek entries in the European Competition to just 4 clubs this year. The main focus now for Panionios, will be success domestically and reaching Europe once again. As for the Intertoto Cup, it has seen its last days; UEFA is discontinuing the tournament. Napoli joins ten other clubs, including Aston Villa and Stuttgart, in the second qualifying round of UEFA Cup.