AEK stayed at 1-0 in the return match with Noah It witnessed a disastrous blockade from Europe in August.
Missing several chances in the first half and having no clear ideas in the match, Al-Ittihad saw failure happen in the most painful way at the start of the season. The yellow and black team opened the scoring with a goal from Zuber in the 90+2 score, but it was too late.
AEK – Noah: This is how they started
As expected, Zuber started at the top of the attack as Leiva were permanently sidelined through discomfort, with Matias Almeida starting both Bilios and Mandaló in the starting lineup. Strakossa was in goal, Bilios, Collins, Vida and Ruta a back four, Szymanski with Ljubicic in midfield, with Gacinovic, Eliasson on either side and Madaló behind the advanced Zuber. For Noah, Rui Motta started with Šankarevic in goal, Thorarinsson, Santos, Miljkovic and Gonzalo Silva in a back four, Shangari, Gambos and Manveljian in midfield, Benson and Ferreira on the flanks and Gregorio at the top.
AEK were bombing but the goal didn’t go in.
AEK came with the aim of finding a quick goal, but in the third minute after a mistake by Miljkovic, Zuber could not capitalize as Čankarevic beat him in a 4-a-4, while the Noa goalkeeper had an answer in the very next minute when Mandalos sent a cross and Rota found the ball with his head. The Armenians rang the first bells of AEK’s defense in the 20th minute when he saw Gregorio Strakossa tell him “no” from a side position, while immediately after the Portuguese striker’s mistake, after a mistake by Kalins, he advanced in front of Strakossa but the Peruvian goalkeeper made up for it at the last moment with a decisive intervention.
The Union had to find better cohesion in their lines and more correct decisions in the final actions. In the 28th minute, Eliasson tried a dangerous cross, which Čankarevic saved, while Bilius was full as the stage progressed, but the Noah goalkeeper was ready for Collins’ header as well. The pressure from AEK continued, with Rota in the 34th minute firing a powerful shot, the ball changing between bodies and finding the outside of the net.
The Yellow and Blacks had to find goals to relax their legs and leave the anxiety that was there. And that didn’t come either in the 37th minute, when Zuber’s role stopped with a Mandalu header on the crossbar, nor in the place of Eliasson in the 43rd minute that went wide of the crossbar, nor in the close shot of Ljubicic in the 44th minute that Santos put into the net. Drop saving!
AEK had no clear ideas offensively and sank.
AEK needed a clear head to take the lead, but now they had a mountain to climb. At the start of the second half, Almeida made the team more aggressive, bringing on Pineda for Szymanski and Lamela for Ljubicic. However, AEK lacked consistency in the lines and were unable to develop rationally without taking anything from either end, with Noah touching Manveljian’s free-kick on 55 minutes, which found the crossbar for Strakosa.
Almeida switched sides with Fernandes and Kuita for Eliasson and Gačinović in an attempt to find a way through, while Hajisafi came on for Bilius, who looked in trouble. It was remarkable that in the 73rd minute, AEK threatened with a shot from Rota from outside the area, which was saved by Kantašarevic, who also made a save in the 76th minute from the Greek international full-back’s fiery effort. The ball did not enter the goal at all, as it did not enter the net or Vida’s goal in the 77th minute, which went high.
Time was running out, the pressure was becoming unbearable, the legs were getting heavier. AEK had no clear attacking ideas. A shot from Lamela in the 89th minute missed the target. Everything was now decided with the yellow and black flag of a shock elimination at the hands of the Armenian side and watching Europe lose as Zuber’s 92nd goal from Fernandes gave AEK a 0-0 win. Hadjisavi’s solo shot in the 97th minute went wide of the post in AEK’s last chance to escape qualification and send the match into extra time.
Best Player: Kančarevic with his brilliant interventions kept a clean sheet for 92 minutes and proved to be Noah’s hero in both matches.
In his prime: Fernandes came on as a substitute and gave a spark until the end. The assist for Zuber came from his intervention.
Weak Link: Gatcinovic and Eliasson. AEK didn’t take anything to extremes when it came to creativity.
The big mistake: Collins scored in the first half, with Gregorio leading 4-4, but the Peruvian made up for it with a last-minute intervention.
Extremist: German referee Robert Schroeder did not go through a difficult phase in the match.
Gazeta box office: AEK failed to score in several big moments they created in the first half, and then, without clear ideas in attack, with the pressure of anxiety weighing on them and lacking cohesion in their lines, they suffered a disastrous elimination. Much of the lost match might have been decided by Zuber in the third minute, which might have loosened the legs of the Ittihad players. But if nothing had happened. The yellow and black team saw a European elimination, a disaster because Zuber’s goal in the final was not enough.
AEK EK (Mathias Almeida): Strakossa, Belius (Hadjisafi 70), Collins, Vida, Rota, Szymanski (46′ Pineda), Mandalos, Gacinovic (64′ Cuita), Eliasson (64′ Fernandes), Ljubicic (46′ Lamela). , Chopper
Noah (Rui Mota): Kandarević, Thorarinsson. Santos, Miljkovic, Gonzalo Silva, Shangari (75′ Moradian), Gambos (Shinari 63′), Manvelian (74′ Ouled Omar), Benson, Ferreira (63′ Avanesian), Gregorio (63′ Ayas).
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