Panathinaikos achieved its third consecutive victory since the start of the Greek Novibet Volley League, after crushing newcomer Rethymno as a guest with3:0 (25:14, 25:16, 25:19)in a match from the third round of the championship.
It is curious that the Bulgarian national player Nikolay Kolev, who only two days ago was included in the ideal team of the second round, was not included in the squad for the away game. The middle blocker was absent from both the starting six and the list of reserves. The reason for his absence is not yet known, but most likely he was given a rest, given the strength of the opponent.
We remind you that Kolev was chosen as the most valuable player in the 3:0 victory over Aris in the previous round, when he scored 13 points, including an impressive 5 aces and 2 successful blocks.
In the absence of the Bulgarian, Panathinaikos did not encounter serious resistance in Rethymno. Dimitris Andreopoulos's players completely controlled the match, which lasted only 73 minutes.
The most effective player for the winners was the Danish opposite Rasmus Broenning-Nielsen with 18 points, of which 16 were from attack with an impressive 76% success rate and 2 successful blocks.
Dmytro Yanchuk added 10 points, distinguishing himself with 5 aces. Patrick Gassman and Timothee Carl finished with 9 points each, and Theodoros Voulkidis contributed 8, including 4 successful blocks.
For the hosts, Juan Gabriel Barrera was the most effective with 7 points, followed by Bartosz Pietruczuk with 6.
Statistics show the huge superiority of Panathinaikos. The guests scored 38 points from attack with 58% success rate against only 18 points and 28% for Rethymno.
Even more impressive was the difference in blocks - 11:1 in favor of the Athenian grand. In the second set alone, Panathinaikos recorded 7 successful blocks. From the serve, the guests also dominated with 10 aces against 2 for the hosts.
With their third consecutive victory, Panathinaikos accumulated a full 9 points and continues undefeated in the championship.
In the next round on November 14, the big derby against Olympiacos is coming up, and it remains to be seen whether Nikolay Kolev will return to the champions' squad.