PAOK lose ground in battle for second in Greece

ATHENS (Reuters) - PAOK Salonica failed in their bid to reclaim second spot in the Greek Super League after they were held to a 1-1 home draw by PAS Giannina on Sunday. Giorgos Georgiadis’ team, who are aiming to gather momentum ahead of the end-of-season playoffs for the second Champions League place, had been knocked down to third following Panathinaikos’ 2-0 win over Skoda Xanthi on Saturday. Their hopes of three points were dashed when Giannina’s Argentine midfielder Cristian Chavez opened the scoring after 12 minutes. Facundo Pereyra levelled matters two minutes later but despite chances for both sides the match ended in a draw. The result means PAOK are a point behind Panathinaikos with two matches to play, with all four teams below champions Olympiakos Piraeus clamouring to get as many points as possible before the playoffs get underway. Olympiakos, who lifted their 42nd league title last weekend, were made to work hard for a 2-2 draw at Panionios. (Reporting by Graham Wood; Editing by Mark Meadows)