OFI 0-2 AEK

After yesterday’s 0- 0 draw between Panathinaikos and PAOK, AEK were once again presented with a golden opportunity to go 2nd in the playoffs and this time around, we were able to capitalize. Our performance today was definitely an improvement over what we saw last weekend during the game against Panathinaikos. Sure, OFI are the weakest of the teams we’ll face in the playoffs, but it was reassuring nonetheless to see us manage to put together a few significant attacks going forward. Livaja was on the score sheet once again following his well taken header to close out the first half, but it was Verde’s perfectly taken goal which was the one that received the most attention with some beautiful footwork followed topped off by a perfectly placed shot. Verde might not have been our top scorer this season but when he has scored, its often been a goal worth watching more than once.

The win today puts AEK as the sole occupant of 2nd place with 55 points – ahead of us are Olympiakos on 72 points while we are trailed by PAOK on 53 points. We’re clearly not out of the woods yet as it wouldn’t take much for us to be overtaken and from what I’ve heard and read following’s yesterday’s draw, PAOK looked more dangerous than the 0-0 scoreline would suggest. Thankfully, we seem to have put last week’s performance behind us and are heading in the right direction for the time being at least.

In other news, we made our first significant singing of the season with a three year deal with Bright Enobakhare. The 22 year old Nigerian striker was previously with Wolves but has spent much of his time on loan – can’t say I’m particularly familiar with him, but it seems like a promising singing and I’m glad he isn’t yet another player for us on loan.

AEK 1-1 Panathinaikos

The 4th of March was the last time we were able to watch an AEK game… who would have thought then that it wouldn’t be until the 7th of June, over 3 months later, when we would next get the chance to watch AEK play. Needless to say, it was somewhat reassuring to have a game to look forward to again, even if the stadium was empty and the substitutes and staff on the bench were sitting a considerable distance apart from each other.

The result was somewhat of a disappointment if I’m being honest, as was the performance itself. Earlier in the day, PAOK had lost at home to Olympiakos by a score of 1-0, a result which as a result of the point deduction handed to PAOK would have given AEK the opportunity to move up to 2nd place in the standings with a win. Instead, it was Panathinaikos who were looking more likely to get away with the win at times.

It was clear the three month break from playing had taken its toll on the players; for most of the first half, we struggled to make many significant moves forward and only managed one opportunity on target. The second half was a slight improvement but again it was Panathinaikos who looked more convincing as they had one goal called back for a foul but then managed to go ahead in the 65th minute.

Thankfully we were able to find a response 10 minutes later when Livaja managed to finish from a tough angle but ultimately we were forced to settle for the 1 point. There was considerable discussion today regarding Carrera’s hesitation to make substitutions earlier on the match when it was clear something wasn’t working. Eventually Oliveira was brought on in the 67th minute but it wasn’t until the 87th when Araujo got put in the match for a chance to make a difference with just a few minutes left – Oliveira’s introduction made the impact we were looking for has he provided the assist on Livaja’s goal, but it makes me wonder if he could have had an even bigger impact if he was introduced to match earlier on.

As a result of the 1 point we received following yesterday’s draw, we now find ourselves level in 2nd place with PAOK on 52 points. Panathinaikos are further behind on 45 points and are less of a threat, though its whether we can find a way to clinch 2nd place which worries me – being able to do so would guarantee us the chance to try to qualify for Champions League next season, something which would naturally be a huge boost for the club.

 

Despite fans not being allowed in the stadium as part of measures put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19, a number of supporters still gathered outside the stadium in Nea Filadelfeia and watched the match on a projector screen:

Speaking of the stadium, there’s been some more progress on its construction since my last post – most noticeably, the preparations are being in put place for the exterior facade to be mounted. It will be exciting to see some of the panels start to go up so we can start to really get a sense of what the completed stadium will look like from the outside.