Taremi back among the goals as Olympiacos beats AEK in Athens derby
Iran international striker Mahdi Taremi scored his first goal in six appearances across all competitions to help Olympiacos defeat its familiar foe AEK 2-0 in an Athens derby at the Greek Super League on Sunday.
Making his first top-flight start since leaving Inter for The Legend in August, Taremi found the net with a smashing header from a Daniel Podence set-piece to double the home side’s lead in the 67th minute at the Karaiskakis Stadium.
This was Taremi’s fifth goal in nine games in the Olympiacos colors.
The Iranian came off the bench to score twice on his club debut during a 5-0 win over Panserraikos on the opening day of the new league season, and netted another double to lead Olympiacos to a 2-1 victory over Asteras Aktor in the domestic cup on September 24.
Prolific Moroccan Ayoub El Kaabi gave Olympiacos from the spot in the 33rd minute, after Costinha’s cross was headed by Taremi onto the raised arm of Domagoj Vida.
“I’m delighted that I scored. It was a fantastic night for the entire team. I don’t think I was the man of the match, but I’m happy I was able to help the team,” Taremi told Cosmote TV after the game.
On forming a front duo with El Kaabi, Taremi said: “Playing alongside him is a real pleasure; he’s an intelligent and experienced striker who always knows exactly what to do on the pitch. The manager’s decision to play us together up front was excellent, and I’m glad that it paid off.”
Olympiacos head coach José Luis Mendilibar, meanwhile, was full of praise for Taremi, though he believes there is more to come from the Iranian once he reaches peak form.
“Taremi helped a lot because he won the penalty and scored a goal – he was decisive and important. He can offer even more, though, because I believe he’s not yet in his best physical condition, because he didn’t have a full preseason. He’s not ready to play 90 minutes yet, but I’m sure he’ll be able to give us a lot more in the future,” said the Spaniard.
Asked if Olympiacos fans would see a Taremi-El Kaabi partnership again, Mendilibar said: “The season is still in the early stages, and we have many matches ahead, so yes, we might see it again because they complement each other well. But we’ll take things one match at a time.
“For a coach, the sweetest dream before a derby must be a 4-4-2 with both strikers scoring. The plan wasn’t actually to play in a 4-4-2 – it was a 4-2-3-1. It may have looked like a 4-4-2 because Taremi played a bit deeper.”
The victory saw defending champion Olympiacos move three points clear of its archrival in the league table, standing second with 19 points – one point adrift of PAOK, which defeated Volos 3-0 at home.