Ouzounidis frustrated with draw, Lucescu pleased with effort at OAKA
 

After drawing 1:1 at home against PAOK in the Super League, AEK boss Marinos Ouzounidis was frustrated with the result, while opposing manager Razvan Lucescu expressed his satisfaction with his players’ efforts.

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In one of the most anticipated derbies of the campaign, AEK made a bright start against rivals PAOK, however the visitors took the lead in Athens when Mauricio glanced a corner beyond the stranded Vasilis Barkas. Nevertheless, PAOK forward Leo Jaba then contrived to earn two yellow cards, in turn gifting AEK the chance to pile the pressure on. Eventually, Ezequiel Ponce headed in to bring the Athenians level on 74 minutes, but despite late pressing, they had to settle for a draw which sees PAOK lead by six points in first place ahead of Olympiacos.

Following the match, Marinos Ouzounidis was disappointed with the draw, however he refused to state that reached second place and the UEFA Champions League is now insurmountable: “We started very well, but after Marko Livaja’s shot was saved by Alexandros Paschalakis, we conceded a goal from a set-piece. That’s disappointing because we knew that PAOK are strong at dead ball situations. For 5-10 minutes after the goal, we struggled, but we then began to control the game. We cannot be satisfied with the draw, however my players worked hard.

Now, we have to focus on the Greek Cup on Thursday. Is it impossible to overtake Olympiacos in second? No, I don’t think so, there are many matches and derbies to come. PAOK packed their half with 10 players, so we needed to cross the ball towards the penalty area. PAOK didn’t threaten so we could take risks.”

Razvan Lucescu wasn’t pleased with the refereeing at the Olympic Stadium, but the Romanian coach thinks the draw is a small victory for PAOK: “This is a small victory for us in terms of our work ethic and sacrifice. Yes, Olympiacos are now closer to us, however I am pleased with the players’ effort. In the opening stages, AEK pushed us, and we were playing against a good team. The refereeing? I don’t want to say anything. He made mistakes both against us and AEK. In the first half, Alexandros Paschalakis received a yellow card, and we then told him to play faster as we thought he would later be sent off. This season, we have 17 wins and two draws, something which speaks volumes about my players. When you can’t win, it’s important not to lose.”

AEK captain Petros Mantalos shared his thoughts when speaking with Nova Sports after the derby’s conclusion: “We are disappointed with the outcome. Competing against PAOK at home, we really wanted to win, we had control of the game however we conceded a goal from a set piece. I can’t recall a phase of the game when PAOK controlled possession for any decent length of time. We’re losing ground on second place, and in my opinion, the key aspect of this season is our mentality of playing in UEFA Champions League matches. Our goal is now to win the Greek Cup.”

Teammate Anastasios Bakasetas also admitted that the Greek Cup is now AEK’s priority as the season moves on: “Our main goal is now to win the cup, this has been a very difficult year for us in which not everything has gone to plan at all. Today, PAOK played with 10 players behind the ball, something which made it tough for us to break them down. PAOK simply defended in numbers and their goalkeeper made a brilliant save to deny Marko Livaja.”

PAOK goalkeeper Alexandros Paschalakis, who was in excellent form to protect a point for the Dikefalos tou Vorra, was relieved to take a draw: “If you can’t win, you must not lose. Until the sending off, I think that we were playing good football and had the advantage. At half time, we knew that it would be a real challenge for us to win, however we remained positive and continued giving our all. The two central defenders were amazing for us. With our coach, we have gained a true winning mentality, and we always play for each other. I am looking forward to a big match against Olympiacos next week at the Toumba Stadium.”

Goalscorer Mauricio is focused on achieving the required result against Olympiacos next week in Thessaloniki: “My goal was important today, but for me, the main thing is that we achieved an important result. Tonight, we have to enjoy what we’ve done here, however we then need to concentrate on the Greek Cup and the match with Olympiacos at home. The game against Olympiacos is for six points. If we would have had 11 players on the pitch for the full match today, we would have witnessed better football, and because of the sending off, our only job was to close the space and run a lot. At full strength we could have played better.”

by Shaun Nicolaides

Image Source: SportFM.gr

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