She won with her defense AEK! The “yellow and black” returned to winning ways, overcoming the obstacle of Panaitolikos, winning 3-0 at the OPAP Arena in a postponed match for its premiere Stoiximan Super League.
The Union won from the first… round, by the head Eliasson to… serve goals to Vida (34′) from a corner, but also to Rota (36′) who scored from close range. He also scored Mukudi (88′)who had and beam (90’+5′).
Matias Almeida’s team came within five points of the pioneer Olympiakos (having the same matches for the first time), which for the first time (in all competitions) this season kept the “zero” in defense.
In the coach’s mind
With 4-4-2 stable AEK and five changes compared to the match against Ajax. Stankovic was under the posts, Vida and Callens the stoppers, with Rota and Hadjisafi making up the backs. Jonsson had a “sweeper” role, while Eliasson, Pizarro and Pineda were the rest of the midfielders, with the first two being on the sides. At the top of the attack, Araujo had support from Mandalo.
With 4-3-3 Panaitolikos. Kapino is at the finish line. Malis, Mladen, Duarte, Torrejon the four in defense. Xenitidis, Peres and Bouzoukis the trio in the midfield, with Sengelia and Hatzitheodoridis playing on the “wings”, while Joao Pedro was at the top of the attack.
The match
Anticipated film of the match in the first minutes. AEK had the ball, the initiative of movements and intensity in her game. Not possibly at the levels that Matias Almeida wanted in the first part of the match. With Panaitolikos to be well fortified behindputting more pressure on the opponent compared to the philosophy he had under Schurer.
In the first ten minutes or so the Union struggled to make ends meet and from there on it started to become productive. In the 9th minute, Mandalos committed a lob foul for him Araujo who didn’t have good balance and missedwhile shortly after the “yellow and black” threatened again, with Mandalo in a shooting position and a little to the right, catching a diagonal-missing shot.
In the 14th minute, AEK touched, but did not make it 1-0. with Eliasson serving for Mandalo, who mistimed a header from the heart of the opponent’s area. For about a quarter, the hosts had some incomplete attempts (see cross-shots by Mandalou and Araujo), with Panaitolikos becoming dangerous for the first time in the 28th minute. João Pedro went straight, crossed for Sengelia on the right, but he was delayed and closed down by AEK players.
The Union began to pick up steam thereafter, phased out and it was not long before he was rewarded. In the 33rd minute, Rota, Eliasson and Mandalos worked together, with the latter making the turn and Pizarro cleverly leaving for Araujo where executed a penalty from the height on Kapinos.
Immediately after, it became 1-0 for AEK, with Eliasson executing a corner from the right, Vida defeated Vida in the air in the 34th minute, but also Kapinos with his header, which remained a statue.
On the lids it was also 2-0 for AEK. Eliasson stepped into territory after a nice collaboration with Pissarro, he did the shoot for him Rota who entered the net with the ball in the 36th minute.
Until the break, both teams had one good phase each. In the 41st minute, Panaitolikos kicked the opportunity to reduce and to enter the bay again. Hadjisafi lost his balance, Sengelia took the ball and swerved, took the shot and Stankovic cleared, with Joao Pedro making a poor shot from a great position.
In the 44th minute, AEK lost incredible chance for 3-0. After Eliasson’s orexato shot, Araujo shot high from the heart of the opponent’s area.
The Argentine took this opportunity personally and scored an individual effort shortly after sending the ball just wide.
THE Almeida confirmed that he was satisfied with the overall image of AEK in the first half, as he did not make any changes, with Petrakis putting Liava instead of Bouzoukis in the match.
The first half of the second part went by without any big phase. Except for one suspicious phase in the 53′ with Xenitidis distributing vertically for Hatzitheodoridis, which was cut by Jonsson before entering the area with a nice tackle.
The first half of the second part went by without any big phase. Despite only one suspected phase in the 53rd minute with Xenitidis distributing a cross for Hatzitheodoridis, which Jonson intercepted before entering the area with nice tackle.
Not, of course, that afterwards the game was spectacular, which went relatively uneventfully, with AEK also maintaining forces from one point onwards, while the Panetolikos looked for a way to re-enter the match, without success.
The next good moment came in the 80′, with Fr. Duarte unleashing… a long-range volley and Stankovic making an impressive clearance.
AEK picked up speed in the final minutes, Almeida injecting fresh blood into the game. In 88′, Union he also found a third goalwith Amrabad taking a corner from the left, Madalo doing something of a back-heel and Mukudi sending the ball into the net from close range.
THE Cameroonian he almost scored a 2nd goal shortly after, sending the ball onto the post with a header at 90’+5′ after a free kick by Mandalus from the right.
Almost in exhalation, the ball ended up in the net for the 4th time, but Mandalos, who beat Kapinos, was exposed.
MVP: Clearly Eliasson. The 27-year-old ace, who was very active in the first half and “unlocked” the opposing defense with his two assists, was in high spirits, while he was involved in almost everything good creatively the Union produced in the first 45 minutes.
Whistle: Easy payday for Gortsila. He handled the game well, while he was lucky in the sense that he didn’t have a difficult phase. Mandalus’ goal at the end rightly didn’t count, since he was exposed.
AEK (Matias Almeida): Stankovic – Rota, Vida, Cullens (58′ Mukudi), Hadjisafi (77′ Gacinovic) – Jonsson, Eliasson (77′ Amrabad), Pizarro (77′ Zini), Pineda – Mandalos, Araujo (83′ Ponce)
Left on the bench were: Athanasiadis, Mitoglou, Sidibe, Van Weert
Panaitolikos (Yiannis Petrakis): Kapino – Malis, Mladen, B. Duarte (73′ Stagic), Torrejon – Xenitidis (57′ Fr. Duarte), Peres, Bouzoukis (46′ Liavas) – Sengelia (81′ Voilis), Hatzitheodoridis (73′ Baldasara), Joao Pedro
Left on the bench were: Graterol, Huanpi, Belevonis, Nikolaou
Referee: Efstathios Gortsilas
Assistants: Andreas Meidanas, Konstantinos Staikos
4th Referee: Panagiotis-Raphael Tsiaras
VAR: Thanasis Tzilos, AVAR: Dimitris Samoilis
The film of the match via sport-fm.gr
Source: Sport Fm
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