Lamia stood tall in the OPAP Arena with a heroic effort in defense, drawing 1-1 with AEK. Furtado gave the visitors the lead in the 39th minute, and Mukundi equalized in the 89th.
AEK took a step back as they failed to overcome the obstacle posed by Lamia, with both teams earning a point from the 1-1 draw thanks to goals from Furtado and Mukundi.
The shots and xGoals of AEK – Lamia
The players of Marino Satsias took the lead in the score during their first opportunity in the match at the 39th minute. Furtado received the ball in the area and with a nice shot sent it to the back of Strakosha’s net.
AEK equalized with Mukundi in the 87th minute after a free-kick by Lamela and attempted a comeback but couldn’t manage it.
The yellow-blacks had two hits on the woodwork during stoppage time. In the 90+2′, after a cross from Eliason, the ball hit the post following a misplay by Yanoutsos and Kostić. In the 90+5′, Koita hit a nice shot from outside the box, but the ball also hit the post.
Lamia shocked AEK
AEK started the match with the initiative in movements, yet struggled to create chances against the well-organized Lamia defense.
The first attempt from the yellow-blacks came in the 15th minute. Amrabat took a corner from the right, and Mukundi forced Kostić to make a crucial save with a beautiful header. In the 26th minute, Koita tried a nice shot from outside the box, but it was another save from Kostić who stretched out to deflect it for a corner.
The hosts continued to pressure the opposing goal but did not create many opportunities. In the 29th minute, Levai Garcia tried a poor shot, while Pineda’s header missed the target in the 38th minute. A minute later, Lamia scored with Furtado’s beautiful finish inside the box.
AEK tried to equalize before the end of the first half and had some chances to do so with Garcia, but the score stayed 1-0 until the end.
AEK salvaged a point and hit two woodworks at the end
The second half continued in the same pattern with AEK continuing to press, as they were chasing the score. The first efforts from Koita and Garcia in the 47th and 49th minutes did not find the target, as the ball went out in both cases.
In the 55th minute, Garcia found himself in a scoring position inside the box, but Corneth took the ball away just in time. The hosts gradually picked up the pace as time passed. In the 61st minute, after a quick throw-in by Amrabat, Garcia found himself in a scoring position, but Kostić stopped him.
In the 67th minute, Koita chose to shoot from outside the box despite having available options, and the ball went wide. Matias Almeida’s players continued to threaten the opposing goal, with several shots until the end. In the 70th minute, Lamela was in a shooting position, but his shot went high.
In the 74th and 75th minutes, Kostić reacted well to the attempts from Eliason and Ondubadjo. In the 87th minute, the equalizing goal came from Mukundi after a free-kick by Lamela.
In stoppage time, the yellow-blacks had two hits on the woodwork. In the 90+2′, after a cross from Eliason, the ball hit Yanoutsos and Kostić’s legs and then the post. Three minutes later, Koita sent a wonderful shot that hit Kostić’s post.
The statistics and the best performances
AEK: Strakosha, Rota (68′ Ontubadjo), Mukundi, Vida, Pilios, Simanski (68′ Mandalos), Pineda (58′ Lamela), Amrabat (58′ Eliason), Koita, Lioubičits (78′ Tsouber), Garcia.
Lamia: Kostić, Saramañdas (76′ Dedakis), Corneth, Yanoutsos, Andrade (76′ l.t.r. Andrade), Ring, Mekits (90′ Simoni), Furtado, Bikov, Doyranlis (90′ Athanasakopoulos), Blakhomytros.