Crowd violence mars Panathinaikos win in Greek Cup final

By DEMETRIS NELLAS
Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Crowd violence and tear gas marred the Greek Cup final where Panathinaikos made a first-half penalty hold up to beat PAOK 1-0. Penalty-scorer Aitor Cantalapiedra was allegedly hit in the hand by a chunk of cement thrown from the crowd. Only 43,000 tickets were sold for the 70,000-seat Athens Olympic Stadium to keep apart fans from both clubs. Despite that, fans from both sides attempted to attack each other, drawing riot police and tear gas. The start was delayed, and there was another lengthy stoppage after the goal. The final ended more than three hours after its scheduled start. Clashes at Greek Cup finals have become commonplace.