Solid AEK kick off with a win over PAS Giannina
GREEK SUPERLEAGUE - MATCHDAY 1
| AEK | 2 - 0 | PAS Giannina |
|---|---|---|
| Ponce 37' Livaja 47' |
SuperLeague champions AEK Athens kicked off the defence of their title with a composed 2-0 home win over PAS Giannina at the Olympic Stadium on Saturday.
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Goals either side of half-time from Ezequiel Ponce and Marko Livaja proved enough to seal the three points for Marinos Ouzounidis’ side, who were rarely troubled in defence by their opponents from Ioannina.
The result is a satisfying one for the AEK camp as they look to build up a nice head of steam ahead of the second leg of their Champions League playoff tie against Vidi in Athens next Tuesday - with the Kitrinomavri already holding a 2-1 advantage from last week’s away leg.
On another happy night for the club’s fans, AEK showed once again that they will be intending to push the likes of Olympiacos and PAOK for another title, with a display full of attacking football.
After a flurry of early chances for AEK, the half settled into a nice tempo for the hosts, and it wasn’t long before the opening goal came and it was down to some great work by Livaja. The Croatian forward, who sent PAS defender Skondras on a merry dance before setting up Ponce for an easy close-range finish.
AEK continued to ask the questions of the PAS rearguard, and the half-time break did little to dampen the home side’s appetite, because just two minutes into the second 45 minutes Livaja was the man to double the advantage.
The 24-year-old, who proved a vital figure in AEK’s title success last term and indeed in the current European qualifying campaign, was in the right place at the right time to convert a superb cross from right-back Michalis Bakakis after some neat approach play from Rodrigo Galo.
After that goal AEK seemed to step off the gas a little but while that did enable PAS to gain more possession, the visitors did not threaten Vassilis Barkas’ goal as AEK held firm to pick up their first victory of the new season.
