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GREEK SOCCER CUP - FINAL

  
    Olympiacos
    1 - 2
    AEK Athens
  
        Dominguez 85'

    Mantalos 38'
Djebbour 50'

AEK are the Greek Cup Champions! The Kitrinomvari defeated Olympiacos 1-2 in the Cup Final and won their first Title since their return to the SuperLeague.

Both teams played a conservative first half which led to few chances for either side. The cold environment surrounding the empty OAKA Stadium may have contributed to the slow rhythm at the beginning of the game. AEK made sure to not let the only good opportunity of the half go to waste and Petros Mantalos’ header opened the score in the 38th minute. Five minutes into the second half, the Kitrinomavri doubled their lead after a textbook counter attack ended with Djebbour’s strike in the back of the net. As the half progressed, Olympiacos displayed little signs of a comeback and their absence of competitive games showed on the pitch. In the final 10 minutes, Olympiacos threatened the lead with Masuaku’s shot that hit the crossbar. Five minutes later Olympiacos was back in the game when Dominguez scored, cutting AEK’s advanatge in half. The Erythrolefki pressed for the equalizer in the final minutes, but AEK held onto their lead and was crowned champions of the Greek Cup!

As Greek Cup Champions, AEK will qualify for next year's Europa League. If Sevilla wins tomorrow's Europa League Final (against Liverpool) and the Spanish Cup Final this weekend (against Barcelona), AEK will gain an automatic place in next year's Europa League Group Stage. If Sevilla loses either Final, AEK will play in the Europa League 3rd qualifying round. In the scenario that the Kitrinomavri finish first in the SuperLeague Playoffs, they will play in next year's Champions League 3rd Qualifying Round rather than the Europa League. In that case, the 2nd placed Playoff team will takes AEK's place in the Europa League.

This is AEK’s first Title since their return to the SuperLeague and the 15th Greek Cup in their history. AEK previously won the Cup in 2011 when they defeated Atromitos 3-0 in the final. The victory and Greek Cup Championship sends a strong message to everyone…that AEK is back where they belong, an elite club in Greek Soccer.