The last time the Eternal Derby was played at Leoforos, it was Panathinaikos who came away with the win. On Sunday evening, Olympiacos made sure the memory did not last.
Gelson Martins broke the deadlock in the 33rd minute. Rodinei put it beyond doubt in first-half stoppage time. And from that moment, Panathinaikos — who had gone 11 league matches unbeaten heading into this fixture — had no answer. Olympiacos won 2-0 and cut the gap to AEK Athens at the top to five points with three Championship Group games remaining.
For Rafael Benítez, it was a painful defeat. For José Luis Mendilibar, it was the kind of response his side desperately needed after their opening playoff loss to AEK.
The Setting
There was history in the air before kick-off. This was the final Eternal Derby to be played at the historic Leoforos stadium — Apostolos Nikolaidis — before Panathinaikos eventually move on. For the home supporters, that added an emotional layer to a fixture already loaded with meaning.
Panathinaikos came in fourth on 50 points, their season under Benítez having been a story of steady improvement after a chaotic start. Rui Vitória had been sacked early on. An interim spell followed. Then Benítez arrived and quietly guided the Greens through an 11-game unbeaten run in the league. European football was secured. Pride had been restored.
But Olympiacos arrived with a sharp edge. They had won 2-0 over Panathinaikos earlier in the season at Leoforos, with Gelson Martins capitalising on a defensive mistake to score, and Rodinei extending the lead in first-half stoppage time with an individual effort that effectively decided the contest. Mendilibar’s side had not been beaten away from home all season — just one loss in the league across the entire campaign, at home to AEK a fortnight earlier. They arrived in Athens knowing exactly what they needed to do.
The five injury absences for Panathinaikos — Katris, Sissoko, Kyriopoulos, Palmer-Brown and Dessers — did not help. A weakened squad facing an Olympiacos side with Martins, El Kaabi, Chiquinho and Taremi in the ranks was always going to be a tough ask.
First Half: Martins Strikes, Rodinei Seals It Before the Break
The opening 30 minutes were reasonably balanced. Both sides probed without truly testing each other’s goalkeepers. Panathinaikos tried to use their home energy — the crowd at Leoforos pushing them forward — but Olympiacos defended compactly and looked threatening on the break.
Francisco Ortega was involved early in Olympiacos’ positive passages of play, winning a foul in the ninth minute that set the tone for how the visitors would approach the game — physical, direct, and willing to win their individual battles.
The goal came in the 33rd minute. Gelson Martins capitalised on a defensive mistake to score. The Portuguese winger — one of Olympiacos’ most dangerous players all season — found space on the left side and finished calmly past Lafont. 1-0. Leoforos went quiet.
Panathinaikos tried to respond. Tetteh pressed high and forced a couple of loose moments in the Olympiacos backline. But the visitors held their shape and denied the Greens any clear sight of goal. Then, deep in first-half stoppage time, it was Rodinei who finished the contest before the break had even arrived.
Rodinei scored in the 45th minute with an individual effort that effectively decided the contest. The Brazilian right-back drove forward, exchanged passes in the final third, and fired into the bottom corner past a helpless Lafont. 2-0. Half-time. Game over.
Benítez made four changes at the interval — Pellistri and Swiderski for Andino and Tetteh, completely reshaping the attack. He had nothing to lose.
Second Half: Panathinaikos Push, Olympiacos Hold
The second half was mostly Panathinaikos pressing forward with a purpose they had not shown in the first 45 minutes. Bakasetas and Siopis came on for Sanches and Chirivella in the 66th minute. Kyriakopoulos added energy in wide areas.
Pellistri — on loan from Manchester United — gave Olympiacos’ right back a much harder afternoon than Andino had. The Uruguayan winger got in behind twice and forced the kind of scrambled defending that had been absent in the first half. Bakasetas had a couple of decent moments from range without seriously threatening Tzolakis.
But Olympiacos were professional in the extreme. Mendilibar made his own changes — Biancone for Costinha in the 77th minute, then Mouzakitis for Garcia and Scipioni for Chiquinho late on — managing the game down intelligently. The backline of Retsos, Pirola, Ortega and Rodinei — four players who had barely put a foot wrong all afternoon — gave Panathinaikos nothing meaningful through the middle.
The best chance of the second half fell to Swiderski, who got on the end of a cross from the left in the 82nd minute but could not direct his header on target. That was as close as it got.
In stoppage time, the Leoforos crowd gave their side a warm farewell for the evening. They had watched their team lose twice to Olympiacos this season at this ground. For those who knew this was likely the last Eternal Derby at this stadium, the evening carried a sadness that went beyond the scoreline.
The Bigger Picture
Olympiacos are now five points behind AEK in second place, with Panathinaikos trailing in fourth with 50 points. With only a handful of matches remaining, the title race appears to be narrowing to a two-team contest.
The table after Round 2 of the Championship Group: AEK 66 points, Olympiacos 58, PAOK 58, Panathinaikos 50. It is a significant gap at the bottom of that group, but Benítez has already secured European football — the minimum objective when he arrived. There is no shame in the position.
For Olympiacos, Sunday was the response Mendilibar needed. After losing to AEK on matchday one, any slip here would have effectively ended their title hopes. Instead, they won convincingly, away from home, in a derby. The League title remains possible, just very difficult.
Panathinaikos have now failed to beat Olympiacos in their last five home meetings. That is a statistic Benítez will want to change when the fixture comes around again next season — presumably in a new stadium.
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Match Summary
Panathinaikos 0-2 Olympiacos Stoiximan Super League, Championship Group Round 2 | Sunday, 19 April 2026 Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium, Athens | Referee: Halil Umut Meler (TUR)
Goals: Gelson Martins 33′ (Olympiacos), Rodinei 45’+1′ (Olympiacos)
Panathinaikos (3-2-4-1): Lafont; Kyriakopoulos, Hernandez, Ingason, Jedvaj; Calabria (Pantovic 81′), Taborda; Sanches (Bakasetas 66′), Chirivella (Siopis 66′); Andino (Pellistri 46′), Tetteh (Swiderski 46′)
Olympiacos (4-2-3-1): Tzolakis; Rodinei, Retsos, Pirola, Ortega; Garcia (Mouzakitis 83′), Hezze; Martins, Costinha (Biancone 77′), Chiquinho (Scipioni 89′); El Kaabi
Half-time: 0-2
Standings after Round 2: AEK Athens 66 pts | Olympiacos 58 pts | PAOK 58 pts | Panathinaikos 50 pts
