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Cyprus - Anorthosis Famagusta scored twice in the first 15 minutes to beat Panathinaikos 3-1 on Wednesday with the Cypriot team continuing its surprise success in the Champions League group stage.
Jose Sarriegi gave Panathinaikos a terrible start by scoring an own-goal in the 11th minute when his attempted back header from a throw-in from Andreas Constandinou caught goalkeeper Mario Galinovic off guard.
Anorthosis - the first Cypriot team to make it into the group stage - went 2-0 ahead in the 15th when Serbian midfielder Sinisa Dobrasinovic got onto the end of a well-placed cross from Savio and headed the ball in from 10 yards out.
Dimitris Salpingidis pulled one back for Panathinaikos in the 28th at Nicosia's GSP stadium with a penalty kick after a cross struck the outstretched arm of Anorthosis defender Jeffrey Leiwakabessy. Salpingidis converted the penalty, with Anorthosis' Albanian goalkeeper Arian Beqaj diving the wrong way.
Panathinaikos pressed forward in the first half but couldn't get through a tight Anorthosis defence, triggering a long-range strike from Salpingidis in the 40th that went wide.
"If we didn't have this good defensive work, we wouldn't have ended up where we are now," Anorthosis manager Temuri Ketsbaia said.
Hawar Taher sealed the win in the 78th for Anorthosis when Iraqi midfielder Taher was left unmarked to head the ball in.
Panathinaikos manager Henk Ten Cate criticized the own-goal.
"I didn't tell my player to put the ball in his own net," Ten Cate told a news conference. "How many chances did (Anorthosis) create?"
Ten Cate said Anorthosis loaded its own half with defenders, forcing Panathinaikos to mount attacks from the wings.
"With so many tall players in the box, it was easy for them to defend," he said.
Anorthosis has four points after two games in Group B, while Panathinaikos remains without a point.
"We couldn't have hoped for anything better," Ketsbaia said. "Let's be honest, the ball favoured us."
