One Step Closer to the Double

AEK took huge two steps towards “the Double” this past week after beating Platanias 1-0 in the league and beating Larissa by the same scoreline for the Cup Semi-Final 2nd leg.

The scoreline for the game against Platanias might seem disappointing at first glance, but we did have our chances and Platanias, as would have been expected, played a rather defensive game. Our lone goal was scored by Lazaros, one of the players currently approaching the end of their contracts. It must be said that between the game against Platanias and the cup game against Larissa, hes making a valid case for a contract extension.

Disappointing scoreline or not, it was yet another huge result with regards to our title chase. We’re currently two points ahead of PAOK, but keep in mind a court decision hasn’t yet been reached so we are still very likely to end up being further ahead than that.

The nicest part about the win in Crete against Platanias is that it sets us up to be in the position to win the league tomorrow, at home against Levadeiakos (assuming the court decision goes our way). With this in mind, AEK fans from across Greece, and indeed from across the world, have picked up tickets to the game with the hopes of seeing AEK clinch our first Championship since 1994. From what I’ve been reading, its looking like OAKA might actually sell out which would, as I’m sure we could all imagine, lead to a great atmosphere come kick off.

The Cup game was a rather tense one for me to follow online as with each passing minute, our chances of going through to the final were getting slimmer and slimmer. As the 90th minute approached and the officials signaled for 5 minutes of extra time, it became increasingly clear the some kind of “miracle” was needed for us to get that crucial goal which would put us through to the final. Of course, who other than Lazaros would find a way to get the winner, and with yet another gorgeous goal.

The goal was the talk of Greece the next day, and rightfully so as it was a beauty. It sets us up for a final against PAOK for the second year in a row and all I can hope for is that the result isn’t as disappointing as last year’s result was.

Another Catching Up Post

So I’ve been away from my computer for the past couple of weeks which accounts for the lack of posts recently. Having said that, its been a busy two weeks for the team, so I’ll go over whats happened on the pitch (and off it) in the time between now and my last post.

I’ll start with our derby against PAO two weekends ago. The game followed our 1-0 win against PAOK a week before and was a big test for the team as it was our first away derby of the season. Playing a derby away from home is never easy, but we had a decent chance here to get a result considering PAO’s poor form leading up to the match. Things didn’t get off to a great start however with PAO scoring only 10 minutes in to make the score 1-0. As has often been the case this season, we conceded from yet another set play when Moledo was left with an easy header into a mostly open net.

Thankfully, we would keep PAO at bay for the rest of the match and truth be told, they never really looked that much like scoring again from that point on. In fact, AEK were actually the better team, registering 8 chances compared to PAO’s 4, and controlling 55% of the possession. It might not have been our prettiest game of the season (in fact it was a pretty disappointing derby overall), but just before the final whistle was blown, we managed to get one back and level the score at 1-1. It was enough to salvage a vital point thanks to our goalscorer Marko Livaja (our most inform player this season).

As is often the case with derbies, this game also had its share of drama which mostly stemmed from one incident that occurred just off the pitch. Just as Jimenez was about to leave the pitch, he caught some kind of insult from the crowd that was directed at him. His response was to flash an obscene hand gesture back towards those hurling the insults, something which of course did not go unnoticed. This result of all this, aside from providing plenty for the radio stations and newspapers to talk about, was a 15 day ban for Jimenez to be served away from the bench. Not exactly what we would hope for when we’re desperately looking for all the points we can get…

Our draw in the Athens derby was followed by a Europa League match at home against Rijeka. The result? A second draw, this time by a score of 2-2. This match, like the match against PAO, couldn’t have gotten off to a worst start. We conceded early on from, you guessed it, another set piece. Two posts later and the score was 0-2 in favour of Rijeka just 25 minutes in. Our chance of clinching qualification to the knockout stages was quickly fading away unless we were able to muster a comeback like the one we managed against Olympiakos.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t mean to be as we ended up falling just short. By the end of the match we managed to even the score at 2-2 and also ended up having the better share of chances. We might not have managed to qualify for the next rounds just yet, but we still find ourselves in a decent position. A draw in the final match against Austria Wien will be enough to see us through, something which is very much possible assuming we manage to defend set plays better…

Our final match until now was one which had a happier ending than the previous two. After two draws in a row, we managed a win when we beat Platanias 3-0 in Athens. The match was preceded with the news that all proceeds from the ticket sales would be donated to the causes helping the flood victims in Greece these past two weeks recover, an initiative that was applauded by Platanias as well.

This game, despite being played without Jimenez on the bench and with both Mantalos and Simoes out injured, was always expected to result in a win for AEK. As expected, the team delivered. The stats are pretty impressive with AEK ending the match with 25 chances (11 of which were on goal) and 63% of the possession. Livaja opened the scoring and added a second goal in the second half with Bakasetas finishing up the scoring at the 63rd minute. While it took a while for us to get some chances, the result ended up being what was pretty much expected. What was more important than the result itself however is the fact that the win now puts us alone in 1st place after PAOK and Atromitos both drew over the weekend. We now sit 1st with 24 points followed by Olympiakos in 2nd with 23. Its tight, but its a slight edge which might go a long way when the season ends.

AEK Bounces Back with Two Great Wins

After our unfortunate result against PAO last weekend, the team wasted no time in finding some form again with two impressive results: a 2-0 away win against Platanias and a comfortable 5-0 win against Kerkyra in Athens.

The 2-0 win against Platanias was particularly noteworthy for two reasons, first of which was the fact that not only did Vinicius start the game at left back, but he also played a fantastic game which also saw him score the opening goal. Also worth noting from the game in Chania was the fact that Aravidis came on as a sub and scored yet again. His goal was a beautifully taken one and judging by what Jimenez had to say after the match, I think we might see Aravidis play at least a few more times before the season ends.

Our second game, which took place today, was an all too easy 5-0 win against Kerkyra. Didac, Pekhart, and Bakasetas were the scorers with Pekhart and Bakasetas both scoring two. Definitely a performance which helps boost confidence heading into the homestretch before the playoffs but what I appreciated just as much as the score was seeing Bakasetas hold a Lambropoulos jersey after the game as a show of support for his injured teammate. Hearing the comments that players have made, it sounds like the atmosphere in the locker rooms is more positive than it has been all season which is something that was sorely missing with previous managers, and our performances so far with Jimenez certainly suggest the same.

It was an interesting day in the superleague today with PAOK beating Panathinaikos 3-0 and Olympiakos barely holding on for a 1-1 draw with Levadeiakos. The results don’t chance anything at the top of the table, but it sets up an exciting final two games as far as the 2nd through 5th place teams are concerned.

 

AEK 3-0 Platanias

With relative ease we’ve booked our place in the semi-finals of the Cup. Can we go all the way from this point on? I see absolutely no reason why we can’t with the form we’re seeing at the moment.

Going into the game I was very slightly worried, if only for the fact that the 0-0 draw in the previous game in Crete left us little breathing room if we failed to score early. Platanias afterall only stand one point behind us in the league and have proven time and time again that they can get results against bigger clubs.

Any fears I might have had though we’re quickly put to rest after we got off to a pretty good start, with Lazaros scoring the penalty that resulted from Mantalos being taken down in the box by Platanias’ Yaya Banana. That same play also resulted in a red card for Platanias which certainly only made things easier from that point on.

Oh, and speaking of penalties and red cards, the olympiakos press has been going on all night about how we got “helped” by the refs through the calls… Regardless of whether the penalty was the right call or not, the fact that their press has been going on about this, from a game they weren’t even involved in, is something else. Maybe they’re using it to get their supporters more fired up in case they play us once again in the Cup? Can’t say I mind, it would make any meetings between us in the Cup that much more enjoyable. I still find it incredible that supporters of that team can have the nerve to complain about another team receiving a call like that from a ref…

Back to our game though: I think its safe to say that after the first goal and the red card for Platanias, pretty much anyone following the game would think that the win was pretty much guaranteed for AEK at that point. Rightfully so too, as we continued to score with goals from Araujo (his third in the cup so far) and a beautifully taken finish by Johansson.

Its also safe to say that with a little more luck, the score could have easily ended around 5-0 as we hit the post and had a number of excellent chances missed throughout the game. Regardless, its the win that counts, an important win that books us a place in the semi-finals of a Cup which I genuinely believe our players want to win. It helps too having a coach who has won this cup before and knows how good it would feel to raise it again.

Its obviously too early to tell who we’ll face in the next round but Panathinaikos will definitely be there. I’m pretty confident PAOK will make it to the next round too, but it will be interesting to see what happens in the Atromitos-Olympiakos game. Its very possible we could end up seeing Atromitos joining us in the semi-finals considering Olympiakos’ recent form in Greece.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t all good news today as Chyrgrynskiy had to be subbed off after just a few minutes into the game for what seemed like an arm injury. I’m not sure how bad it is at this point but I hope it doesn’t keep him out for too long.

 

As great as our football team has been lately, our basketball team also deserves some credit after not only beating PAOK over the weekend, but also beating Monaco yesterday in the Champions League round of 16. It was only a one point win, but its definitely a promising result going into the return leg in France. Its also promising to keep in mind that there will be at least 500 AEK supporters present in the rather small arena in Monaco, not to mention the number of Marseille supporters who will also make the trip to support AEK.

Platanias 0-0 AEK

Critical Cup quarter-final clean sheet..

Well, it wasn’t the high scoring affair that we all would have hoped for. In fact it was a pretty disappointing match from what I’ve read.

Having said that, it did sound like Jimenez was experimenting with a 3-5-2 formation, so its somewhat understandable that the players didn’t settle into the new system right away. Why he would try something different I couldn’t say. Afterall we’ve been getting some decent results up to now with Jimenez in control. But at least it didn’t backfire completely on us.

It has to be said that while its too bad we didn’t score, its also just as important that we didn’t concede. We’ve looked good at home since Jimenez took over so bringing this match back to Athens on even footing definitely works in our favour.

Platanias 0-3 AEK

First off, I hope anyone reading this enjoyed their holidays. I managed to escape the cold of Canada for a couple weeks which is always a good thing..

I’m still recovering from a flu I got over the holidays, so I’ll just make a quick post today. Two important games worth noting though from yesterday. Obviously, we got a convincing three points from our game against Platanias in Chania, but we also played PAO in basketball. Unfortunately, the result wasn’t quite what I was hoping for, but the team definitely put in a good effort and ended up just barely losing 64-67. For much of the game we were ahead and had we just made a few less errors, or scored a couple more three pointers, we could have come away with our biggest win of the season. Unfortunate loss, but the team is on the right track and as the commentator on the radio said during the game, its nice to finally see a real derby between AEK and PAO.

As far as our game against Platanias, our scorers were Barbosa and Djebbour with Barbosa scoring the first two. His first goal is especially worth watching. Unsurprisingly, since its happened to us before this season, we had a perfectly good goal called back for no valid reason, but the match was never really too much in doubt for it to matter all that much. The win ensures we stay in second place, with 30 points, though PAOK and PAO are still awfully close.

Highlights can be found here: http://www.aek365.com/a-435254/to-magiko-1-0-tou-mparmposa-video.htm

AEK 3-0 Platanias

Now that I finally have a chance to sit down at my PC, albeit in a hotel room in North Pennsylvania, I’ll get together a quick post on our game yesterday.

First off, check out some of the highlights from the game. Galo’s goal was fantastic, giving me even more reason to be excited about this player. Also worth noting is that gorgeous pass to set up Vargas for the first goal. Johansson is without a doubt proving to be one of our best signings of the past few years.

http://www.sport-fm.gr/videos/24082128

Just from watching the highlights, its obvious that there’s something good going here. The attacking mindset is definitely there, passing is great, and we’re making chances (how many chances do Platellas and Djebbour need to miss though??).

I definitely really like what I’ve seen so far from the first game, but there’s still a couple things to keep in mind. First of all, we desperately need a quality striker, someone up front who we can get the ball to and who has the experience and composure to take the shot that’s needed. They don’t even need to be able to score the stunners, goals like those Scocco used to score, since we have the players who can score those goals when the opportunity arises (Simoes, Vargas, Galo). What we need is someone we can really on to get the job done up front, a player like Blanco during his first season with us.

All that aside, we definitely have a solid team otherwise, but we still need to see how they fare against a strong team. We may have played well on Saturday, but with our upcoming games against Xanthi, PAS, and PAOK, we’ll definitely have the chance to see just how ready our team is within the next few weeks.

If anyone happened to catch the whole game, I would love to hear your opinions on how we played! I’m hoping to be able to watch our next game, but I’m not too sure how likely that is to happen.

AEK 1-0 Platanias!!

YEP! Our first win of the season! And it came at a great time. Still early enough in the season that we can turn things around. Still more than enough teams near us in the standings that with a little momentum, we can easily climb to higher positions. And especially with some big games coming up, we really needed a win to boost our morale and confidence (for both the players and the supporters).

I didnt get to watch the match but it sounds like we did alright, and sounded like we were much stronger in the second half. And though I havent seen any games yet, I definitely feel more confident with Linen. Not to take anything away from Vlachos… He loves AEK, came in at a really hard time and did what he could, but he just doesnt have the experience and professionalism that Linen has.

I cant wait to see how these guys turns things around now.

 

Oh, and also, the crowd at the end of the match (reminds me of the atmosphere after some of our big derby wins):

I also loved seeing Linen walk up to the Originals like that!

 

And I found one video of the highlights on youtube but Ill wait and see if I find a link for a better quality one. Fountas scored our goal after being set up by a great pass from Roger (apparently Roger made quite the difference when he came one).

PAOK 1-0 AEK

I certainly wasn’t expecting us to get our first win of the season in Toumba, but a 1-0 loss still isn’t too bad (considering our current situation… young players, first derby for the team, new coach). I didn’t get to watch or follow the match, but I heard that we played a pretty tight game defensively and managed to hold PAOK back for much of the match. We also apparently weren’t treated too well by the ref, but what else is new…

We’re still last in the league (painful isn’t it?) but we can still definitely turn things around. Not so sure we can make the playoffs, but hopefully we’ll be able to stay safely away from relegation. Our next match is against Platanias and though I know little about this club and have yet to see them play, and though they are a new team to the league, they’re doing quite well. But hopefully we’ll get our first win?

Hmmm…

Hhmmmmmmmmmm…

Hm…

So. Not sure who has been following things with AEK lately… not even sure who still follows this blog anymore considering its been so long since I posted (and for that I apologize, but I just never felt I had much to offer).

But things arent going too well. Things are terrible, really…

AEK, one of the most historic clubs from Greece (THE most historic in my opinion, but Im certainly bound to be a little biased), is at the bottom of the tables, with two points. Two points from six games (so that is two out of a total of eighteen possible points). We’re even lower in the standings than teams like Panthrakikos, Levadeiakos, and Veroia (AND Platanias, a team that just joined the league this year, yet are currently in fourth place with eleven points).

Now, Im sure everyone expected us to have a tough time this season, I know I certainly did. And I accepted it, accepted it as something that needed to be done. But I never expected us to have this hard a time. And we shouldn’t. We’re AEK. There was a time when this club was able to come from being down 2-0 against Madrid, in their own stadium, and even the score at 2-2. There was a time when this team was able to beat teams like Rangers away. There was a time we could beat teams like AC Milan, Inter Milan, and Porto at home, in front of some of the most impressive atmospheres ever created by European supporters. Sure, these wins weren’t that common, but there was still a time when AEK could go up against teams like these and know that, if they played the best they could, they’d always stand a chance.

Yet now, we face teams like Kavala, Panionios, and Ofi,hoping and praying for a win? Is that really what AEK has become? Is that what people have LET AEK become? Even supporters of Greek football in general, or supporters of our rivals, should not accept what has happened to AEK. Take away a strong AEK and its like taking away a strong Liverpool from England, or a strong Inter from Italy, or a strong Marseille from France. Greece NEEDS AEK.

I didn’t start this post with the intention of ranting. I didn’t have any sort of a plan when I started this post, I just felt the need to post something, to show that I’m still here. This team has changed since I first started posting on this blog. We went from pretty-much-winning-championships in 2008, to where were are now, four years later, in 2012. Things with AEK have changed, and not in a good way unfortunately. Everythings changed, really. I’ve changed, the situation in Greece has changed.

But regardless of what has happened to AEK, regardless of what will happen, AEK will always mean the same thing to me. AEK represents so much, to so many people. It represents our history, its a link to a past many of us never actually experienced. A past we could only read about, or hear about from our ancestors.

Yet again Ive taken this post in a certain direction, though I dont know if its really the direction I want to take this post.

Part of me wants to make those responsible for what has happened to AEK feel guilty. But really, I know they’ll never read this. And many live such busy lives, with their companies and ships, to ever care. Yet some probably do care, and I cant say I blame those who stuck with the team for a few years, continued some financial support even though they saw nothing in it for them.

I think its best I end the post here, before I continue on for too much longer. I apologize to everyone who read this expecting something worth while. A match report, or something along those lines. But really, I just felt like expressing how I felt. Because I know Im not the only one out there who feels this way. One thing I’d like to say though is, to everyone who supports AEK, though there might be little we can do in terms of financially supporting the club, we must never forget what AEK means. We can never become supporters who are there only when the club is winning, or when times are good. AEK wasn’t created to celebrate how great life is. AEK was created as a very real reminder of what people left behind, their homes, their lives, families, children, loved ones. AEK was a reminder of the hardships people had to go through and experience. And a reminder of the hardships people have to face everyday, people forced from their homes everyday because of war and conflict, because of natural disasters. Supporting AEK is supporting more than just a club, even if some people don’t see it that way. And I hope that if you support AEK, you’ll always remember that. And I hope the people and the government that have let this club down remember that as well.

Okay, I think Im done. I know I’ve said it before, but Im really sorry I haven’t been able to get any match reports up. The games are always on when I have to work, and I haven’t even found the time to watch a full match yet this entire season. But I think I’m gonna make an effort to post on here a little more often from now on.