AEK slips against Omonia in Athens

AEK became the second Greek club, in as many days, to fall to Cypriot opposition as the Athenian club fell 1-0 to AC Omonia at the Olympic Stadium (OAKA) in Athens. A solitary goal from Cape Verde international Cafú left the home side stunned, and the away bench and its supporters ecstatic. The win, a historic one for Omonia, sees AEK concede what could be a precious away goal for the Cypriot side, and forces AEK into a tricky 2nd leg in Nicosia.

Enjoying the comfort of their home-field, AEK didn’t take advantage of the opportunity to go ahead early in the first leg of tie. Both teams played cautiously on defence, and caused the game to become congested near the middle of the pitch. Chances were sparse; the hosts had the first chance to opening the scoring. Rivaldo combined with the striking duo of Ignacio Scocco and Ismael Blanco, but the latter’s shot was blocked by the Omonia defence. Feeling the pressure from AEK, Omonia began to create their own chances and they nearly converted but goalkeeper Sebastian Saja managed to preserve his clean sheet. Determined to make their mark, Omonia returned with another chance moments later. This time it was Cafú, but the Portuguese-born striker couldn’t hit the target. Cafú made up for his earlier miss late in the opening half. A defensive error allowed Cafú to walk all alone and the 30-year old made no mistake, smashing it past a stretched Saja.

The second half was AEK’s final chance to salvage a decent result at home, and they looked likely to equalize right after the restart. A cross from Rivaldo was met by the head of Blanco, but the opportunity was with the ball flying over the bar. The tempo of the game began to slow down dramatically, with the physicality of the match picking up. Desperate for a goal, AEK’s Edson Ramos took a chance from outside the box but the shot didn’t test the Omonia keeper and flew way wide. The remainder of the match returned to the unattractive and congested football that settled in the first half. AEK created one last chance through Scocco, but the result was the same. Shocking everybody, Omonia held onto their slim lead and nearly doubled late in stoppage time. Slovenian midfielder Anton Zlogar effort smashed against the bar, and it took a Juanfran header to send the ball to safety.

AEK now faces quite the task with Omonia taking a 1-0 aggregate lead to Nicosia. AEK will need to give much more fluent effort in the Cypriot capital, if they wish to continue this year’s European campaign. Giorgos Donis will have to change his tactics ahead of the return leg, with the main focus being grabbing a goal. The defeat is a disappointment for the Athenian club, but the echoes of celebration can be heard in Nicosia.

AEK 0-1 AC Omonia
Cafu 40′

Yellow Cards:
AEK - Rivaldo 5′, Scocco 90 + 1′
Omonia - Duro 18′, Clayton 20′, Ndikumana 51′

AEK Athens FC (Giorgos Donis): Saja, Ramos, Alexopoulos, Majstorovic, Juanfran, Rikka (62′ Hetemaj), Kafes, Rivaldo (78′ Lagos), Scocco, Zorbas (46′ Pavlis), Blanco.

Omonia (Nedim Dudic): Georgallides, Ndikumana, Wenzel, Pletsch, Zlogar, Kaseka, Duro (76′ Kaiafas, Clayton (80′ Aloneftis), Charalambous, Christofi (85′ Okkas), Cafu.