AEK defeated Atromitos 3-0 on Saturday to win the Greek Cup in chaotic circumstances.
AEK’s victory however was marred by pitch invasions and violence. The club’s supporters seemingly frustrated over the current state of the club entered the pitch on several occasions and in some instances attacked Atromitos players and policemen.
These scenes certainly brought Greek football back to the dark ages and even though the referee had indicated there would be nine minutes of injury time, only one minute was played before the final whistle was blown as hundreds of spectators took to the pitch and wreaked havoc in a Cup final that shamed Greek football.
It was a war zone in the end at the Olympic Stadium in Athens as Atromitos players were on the receiving end of cheap shots from hooligans as they raced to protect family and friends in the stands.
On the pitch, the match was a forgettable affair. The two teams opened up cautiously and chances were few and far between in the first half until AEK opened the score in the 27th minute. Nikos Lymperopoulos headed home a Nacho Scocco cross for AEK to take the lead, however replays clearly showed the legendary Greek player was in an offside position when the cross was made.
Atromitos attempted to respond after the break and had two good opportunities to level the score right after the interval, however two headers from Ilias Anastasakos and Marcin Baszczynski couldn’t find the mark. The match began to open up an hour in as both sides had chances to score with Traianos Dellas missing a fantastic opportunity for AEK at one end before Atromitos’ Andreas Tatos was denied a clear run to goal by a Kostas Manolas tackle.
AEK then took advantage of a tired Atromitos side as they scored two late goals to seal the win and their 14th Greek Cup triumph. Nabil Baha scored with a left-footed drive from 12 yards in the 78th minute and then Pantelis Kafe made it 3-0 with a fine effort after a superb through ball by Panagiotis Lagos with just five minutes remaining.
It was AEK’s first title in 9 years, however the win was tarnished by the imbecilic fan violence that took place. Atromitos manager Giorgos Donis was damning in his indictment of the state of Greek football after the match and feels his side were hard done by what was clearly an offside goal for the opener.
AEK go on to play in the Greek Super League playoffs however the club will now certainly face stiff penalties for their supporters’ actions and will more than likely play all three of their home matches in the playoffs without fans.
These scenes certainly brought Greek football back to the dark ages and even though the referee had indicated there would be nine minutes of injury time, only one minute was played before the final whistle was blown as hundreds of spectators took to the pitch and wreaked havoc in a Cup final that shamed Greek football.
It was a war zone in the end at the Olympic Stadium in Athens as Atromitos players were on the receiving end of cheap shots from hooligans as they raced to protect family and friends in the stands.
On the pitch, the match was a forgettable affair. The two teams opened up cautiously and chances were few and far between in the first half until AEK opened the score in the 27th minute. Nikos Lymperopoulos headed home a Nacho Scocco cross for AEK to take the lead, however replays clearly showed the legendary Greek player was in an offside position when the cross was made.
Atromitos attempted to respond after the break and had two good opportunities to level the score right after the interval, however two headers from Ilias Anastasakos and Marcin Baszczynski couldn’t find the mark. The match began to open up an hour in as both sides had chances to score with Traianos Dellas missing a fantastic opportunity for AEK at one end before Atromitos’ Andreas Tatos was denied a clear run to goal by a Kostas Manolas tackle.
AEK then took advantage of a tired Atromitos side as they scored two late goals to seal the win and their 14th Greek Cup triumph. Nabil Baha scored with a left-footed drive from 12 yards in the 78th minute and then Pantelis Kafe made it 3-0 with a fine effort after a superb through ball by Panagiotis Lagos with just five minutes remaining.
It was AEK’s first title in 9 years, however the win was tarnished by the imbecilic fan violence that took place. Atromitos manager Giorgos Donis was damning in his indictment of the state of Greek football after the match and feels his side were hard done by what was clearly an offside goal for the opener.
AEK go on to play in the Greek Super League playoffs however the club will now certainly face stiff penalties for their supporters’ actions and will more than likely play all three of their home matches in the playoffs without fans.
