AEK send Olympiacos crashing out of Greek Cup
GREEK SOCCER CUP - QUARTER FINALS (LEG 2)
| AEK | 2 - 1 | Olympiacos |
|---|---|---|
| Christodoulopoulos 57' Araujo 73' |
Agg. (2-1) |
Tachtsidis 83' |
AEK clinched a sensational second successive derby victory over Olympiacos on Wednesday, defeating the reigning SuperLeague champions 2-1 in the second leg of their Greek Cup quarter-final stage - a result which send the Piraeus club out of the competition.
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Having already produced a superb 2-1 comeback victory over Olympiacos at the Georgios Karaiskakis stadium on Sunday, two brilliant goals from Lazaros Christodoulopoulos and Sergio Araujo proved the difference tonight.
Greece midfielder Panagiotis Tachtsidis grabbed a goal back from a set-piece for Oscar Garcia’s Olympiacos, but the Erythrolefki could not find a way back and wave goodbye to a chance of silverware with AEK progressing to the semi-finals 2-1 on aggregate after the first leg ended 0-0.
Things did not start at all well for Olympiacos ahead of the match with the news that under-pressure coach Garcia would not be in the dugout for the match, as the Spaniard was hospitalized with a stomach problem.
And after a dull first half similar to the wretched opening 45 minutes of the league match between the two teams four days ago, the second half burst to life when Christodoulopoulos met a cross from Michalis Bakakis to score with a powerful header.
The goal seemed to knock the stuffing out of Olympiacos, Garcia’s team struggling to produce a reaction as AEK pressed for a second goal. And the home side got their reward after 73 minutes when Araujo received possession in the box and skipped past Alaixys Romao before slotting the ball confidently beyond Silvio Proto to make it 2-0.
The visitors did manage to regroup after that strike and pressed the AEK goal. And they finally got a way back into the match with seven minutes left. It came from a set-piece with Tachtsidis rising above the AEK defenders to head home a Kostas Fortounis corner.
But for all their late pressure, there was to be no comeback from the visitors as the home fans celebrated wildly again at the final whistle.
