10-man AEK hold Celtic in Glasgow
10-man AEK hold Celtic in Glasgow
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - 3RD QUALIFYING ROUND (LEG 1)
AEK held Scottish champions Celtic to a creditable 1-1 away draw in the first leg of their Champions League 3rd qualifying round clash in Glasgow on Wednesday, coming from a goal down and hanging on despite playing the last half hour with 10 players after Kostas Galanopoulos was harshly sent-off.
Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic, eyeing a third straight group stage participation, controlled the early stages and went ahead after 17 minutes thanks to Callum McGregor’s smart finish.
But AEK fought back and levelled just before half-time through Viktor Klonaridis’ brilliant volleyed effort, and Marinos Ouzounidis’ team did just about enough to claim a draw which gives the Greek title holders a slight advantage ahead of next week’s return leg in Athens.
AEK, who were entering the competition at this stage, began brightly, with Galanopoulos breaking into the Celtic penalty area after just two minutes, but goalkeeper Craig Gordon stopped his cross.
It was then all Celtic for the next quarter of an hour as the side pinned AEK back in their final third, applying pressure and dominating possession. It seemed only a matter of time before the Scots got a goal, and surely enough it came in the 17th minute.
Kieran Tierney did well to get his foot on the ball and his deflected pass found its way to McGregor, who turned neatly to score from a tight angle.
The match settled into a steady tempo after Celtic’s early purple patch, and AEK began to grow in confidence as the match wore on and get their foot on the ball. The Kitrinomavri piled on the pressure late on in the half, with Helder Lopes and Tasos Bakasetas going close to scoring twice.
Just when it seemed Celtic would hold on to their 1-0 lead going into the dressing rooms, Klonoridis pounced to score a crucial equaliser. AEK’s Greek forward volleyed home brilliantly from close range after a fine move down the left involving captain Andre Simoes and Helder Lopes.
With the match delicately balanced going into the second half, a crucial moment came just before the hour mark when AEK were reduced to 10 players after Italian referee Luca Banti showed Galanopoulos a second yellow card for a challenge on James Forrest.
There were justified protests from the AEK bench over the decision, especially since replays showed that there was minimal to no contact with Forrest.
Ouzounidis’ players gave their all to keep Celtic at bay for the last half-hour of the match, and thankfully for the travelling pocket of AEK fans, their team managed to claim the draw that their efforts deserved.
by Graham Wood
Image Source: to10.gr
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