The “wounded” Panathinaikos remained standing against the superior AEK

Panathinaikos and AEK came tied with 1-1in the context of the first match of this year’s play-off of Super League 1, at “Apostolos Nikolaidis”.

The “greens” were happy to be ahead from the 4th minute, with the fifth goal of the year – very good tonight – Aitor and the second assist of Gacinovic. However, the problems they had before the match, as well as those that arose during it, did not allow them to have their well-known dominant image at home, although they improved after the changes in the replay.

On the contrary, the “Union” managed to equalize with the penalty won by Araούjo and converted into a goal by -top today- Amrabat, in the delays of the first part, while both earlier and later made other phases to score again. I was better during most of the match and especially in the period 15′-60 ‘.

With this result, however, everything remains open in the Europe case. As Panathinaikos remained at -4 from third place, but reduced its difference from the fourth Aris to two points and with a victory in the next game “rides” him in the standings.

AEK, for sure, would have been happier with the “three points”, however, it kept the distance from its current opponent, while it also increased it from the fourth place to two points.

In the… minds of coaches:

Panathinaikos “came down” having as a formation the 4-2-3-1, Dioudis at home and Sanchez, Schκεnefeld, Sarlia and Juancar at the back. Kourbelis and Ruben Pereth were the central midfielders, with Aitor, Gacinovic and Palacios playing behind Carlitos, who was the center forward.

AEK, on ​​the other hand, also lined up with a system 4-2-3-1, Stankovic under the goalposts, while Michelin, Mitoglou, Tzavellas and Mohammadi were the four in defense. Simoes and Hadjisafi played on the axis, while Amrabat, Mandalos and Chouber were the three players who moved behind the only promoted Araούjo.

The match:

AEK came in with the intention to apply controlled pressure high and in fact was the first to reach close to the goal, just in the 2 ‘… With Tsouber coming out on the field welcoming the very nice pass of Mandalos, to reach against Dioudis who made a bad exit , placing from a side position, but the ball ends up on the outside of the net.

On the contrary, Panathinaikos proved to be more effective in its first opportunity. When Juankar stole the ball in the center from a mistake by Mitoglu, Gacinovic found the opponent’s defense disorganized, passed an excellent vertical to Aitor and he “pinched” the ball in front of Stankovic, for 1-0 in 4 ‘!

The guests tried to react, while from a wrong assessment of Dioudis in the 10th minute, they could gain something more than the shot of Araούjo that countered on Schκεnkefeld…

They continued, however, to effectively press the first pass, to close the spaces properly and, having no defensive problems – with the exception of an Aitor shot from inside the area, which he countered, in the 12th minute – to patiently look for a draw.

Which did not come either in the 16th minute as Dioudis blocked Chuber’s long shot but also in the 23rd minute, when Araούjo broke the ball to the unmarked Amrabat, who stepped on an area from the right, shot but Schκεnkefeld put it against drove to a corner!

The “clover” continued to face problems from the energy of his opponent, while making quite easy mistakes in the absence of “building” the game from behind, resulting in a passive role until the break of the match, as Carlitos and Palacios were permanently well marked.

AEK threatened two more times, with an equal number of fills from the right and heads of Mandalos and Araouchos, in the 31st and 34th minute, but without any of them being accurate.

An attempt by Michelin from the right, in 42 ‘, also ended on the side of Dioudis’s goal, so that the equalizer from the “Union” finally came shortly before half time …

As from a nice vertical pass of Amrabat to Araujo, the Argentine striker was overthrown by Dioudis and with the use of VAR, the penalty was awarded by the referee Dabanovic, in 44 ‘.

With Amrabat executing it accurately, although Dioudis fell right to the right and even found the ball, thus making the -just fair image- 1-1 in the second minute of the delays!

The entry of Hatzigiovannis instead of Gacinovic did not change the formation of Panathinaikos, which started the second half like the first.

Having difficulty moving the ball and creating the conditions for an attack, with his lines cut off and unable to reach the opponent’s area.

On the contrary, AEK scored again, with Mitoglou’s goal being canceled correctly, of course, since it was offside at the beginning of the phase, in 49 ‘.

Four minutes later, Michelin – who may have been exposed – took Chuber’s nice pass at once, but was late to execute, from a position to the right, with the ball ending up in a corner by Juancar’s tackle.

Seeing the problematic image of his team, Ivan Jovanovic threw Kotsira, Mauricio and Vigiafanies in their game before an hour was completed.

This fact allowed the hosts to take a few meters on the field, to gain “freshness” and to have a ten minute period where they brought the game to a draw.

Socrates Ofridopoulos “intervened” for the first time in 76 ‘and three minutes later, with Gevtic and Garcia replacing Mandalo and Amrabat respectively, without changing the system of his team.

This was followed by strong markings from both sides, hard duels, many fouls and… minimal phases in front of the two goals.

For Araujo’s effort to come in the 82nd minute, with his shot from the side to counterattack on Senkefeld and to pass parallel to Dioudis’s goal, from the side of the “yellow-blacks”.

And the “response” of Panathinaikos, on the occasion of Palacios, who made a nice individual energy from the left, but Stankovic blocked his shot, in 84 ‘.

While Tankovic’s bad finish in the second minute of extra time of the replay, at the height of the large area “sealed” the final 1-1.

MVP: Nordin Amrabat wins the title in… points by Mandalo-Araούjo. Mainly because he scored his team’s only goal, because the other two were just as influential. The Moroccan winger bothered Juankar, took the pass to his teammate in the penalty phase, while he was in other dangerous moments of AEK.

The “whistle”: Many whistles from one point and after the referee Dabanovic, who correctly canceled Mitoglou’s goal, while the suggestion of the penalty was correct, both with confirmation from the VAR. The Montenegrin referee also made mistakes, of course, mainly the incorrect use of his cards, but without affecting the final outcome.

The compositions of the two groups:

Panathinaikos (Ivan Jovanovic): Dioudis, Sanchez (59 ‘Kotsiras), Schenkefeld, Sarlia, Juankar, Ruben Pereth, Kourbelis (59’ Mauricio), Aitor (90 ‘+ 2’ Vital), Gatsinovic (46 ‘Hatzigiovanis), Paliasios (K’) 59 .

They stayed on the bench: Brinioli, Vagiannidis, Pougouras.

AEK (Socrates Ofridopoulos): Stankovic, Michelen, Mitoglou, Tzavellas, Mohammadi, Simoes (88 ‘Le Talek), Hadjisafi, Amrabat (79’ Garcia), Mandalos (76 ‘Gevtic), Tsuber (88’ Tankovic), Araujo.

They stayed on the bench: Tsintotas, Svarnas, Rota, Franson, Ansarifard.

Referee: Nikola Dabanovic.

Assistants: Vladan Todorovic, Milutin Dukic.

4th Referee: Anastasios Papapetrou.

VAR Referee: Andre Narciso.

Referee AVAR: Michalis Papadakis.

See here the description of the match from Match Center