AEK bows out with tenacity
AEK had to settle for a UEFA Cup spot following a 2-2 draw at Anderlecht in their final Champions League Group H match on Wednesday night. Lille’s surprise 2-0 win at AC Milan was enough to see the French side sneak past the Athens club into second place in the group and earn a place in the next phase of Europe’s top club competition. «It’s heartbreaking, but I am proud of the way my players fought back and kept going until the end,» AEK coach Lorenzo Serra Ferrer told reporters. Milan finished top of the group on 10 points with Lille a point behind and AEK one point further back. Anderlecht finished bottom on four points. Experienced midfielder Akis Zikos attributed AEK’s failure to make the Champions League’s next round to sloppy defending. «It was entirely our fault. We conceded bizarre goals because of a lack of concentration and that’s what cost us in the end,» a disappointed Zikos said. AEK’s 32-year-old anchorman, who previously enjoyed a successful career at Monaco, expressed total contentment with his team’s second-half performance. «We performed well tonight and did everything we could with our backs to the wall. We lacked a bit of luck maybe, especially because of the result in Milan,» said Zikos. «I really don’t understand what happened there. Milan are a great team and had their reputation to defend, even though they were already through,» he added. Despite the letdown, Zikos said he was looking forward to the UEFA Cup. «The UEFA Cup is a good tournament so that’s some consolation. However, it doesn’t start for us until February, so the important thing now is to get back to work this week and lift ourselves again,» said Zikos. «We’ll wait to see who we’re drawn against and take it from there.» Currently second in the domestic Super League, AEK is also vying for the Greek title, which would guarantee the Athens club another chance in Europe’s premier club-level competition. Anderlecht goalkeeper Daniel Zitka blamed his side’s lack of concentration until the game’s very end for the 2-2 draw. «Tonight was the story of our Champions League campaign. We have given away a lot of late as well as silly goals,» said Zitka. «We are still learning at this level and our biggest lesson is that the game is 90 minutes, not 75.» Anthony Vanden Borre put Anderlecht in front after 38 minutes when he toe-poked home his first Champions League goal following a goalmouth scramble. Argentinean Nicolas Frutos doubled the home team’s lead in the 63rd with a powerful strike after AEK keeper Stefano Sorrentino parried away a Mohamed Tchite shot. The Belgian champions looked on course for their first Group H victory until the visitors struck back 15 minutes from the end with a header from substitute Vassilis Lakis. Bruno Cirillo grabbed a dramatic equalizer with a volley in the 81st to set up a pulsating finish, but the Greek team was unable to grab a vital winner and must settle for a place in Europe’s second-tier competition. (Reuters, Kathimerini)
