AEK advances past Dinamo Zagreb with a 2-2 draw
AEK eliminated Dinamo Zagreb Saturday, 4-3 on aggregate, snatching a 2-2 home draw with two added time goals to advance to the Champions League playoff round.
It was a Croat and former Dinamo player, defender Domagoj Vida, who scored the decisive goal in the 10th minute of added time with a header. Dinamo goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic dove to his left to parry a Levi Garcia penalty kick, but Vida headed the high rebound home.
The penalty was awarded only after a VAR review had shown that Dinamo’s Robert Ljubicic had used his arm to block a shot.
More than three-and-a-half minutes elapsed from the contested block to Vida’s finally scoring the equalizer.
Dinamo opened the scoring in first half added time when Bosko Sutalo caught a rebound from a blocked header and slotted the ball home.
AEK dominated the early second half, but it was Dinamo which made it 2-0 in the 65th minute after a perfect exchange of passes between Ljubicic, who scored, and Bruno Petkovic, who provided the assist.
Sergio Araujo pulled one back for AEK in the second minute of added time with a volley from inside the penalty area. The veteran Argentinian’s goal evened the aggregate score at 3-3.
The third qualifying round game, which was originally to have been played on Aug. 9, was postponed after street clashes the day before between AEK fans and Dinamo Zagreb ultras who already were barred from the game because of expected disorder.
An AEK supporter, 29-year-old Michalis Katsouris was killed during the clashes after he was stabbed with a knife.
A minor diplomatic spat with Croatia followed as Greek authorities detained over 100 Croatian nationals on charges of murder and membership of a criminal gang. A total of 105 people were ordered jailed pending trial last week.
What was to be the second leg became the first, with AEK defeating Dinamo 2-1 in Zagreb on Tuesday, Aug. 15.
AEK faces Belgium’s Antwerp in the playoff round, with the first game away on Tuesday and the second leg at home on Wednesday, Aug. 30. The winner will advance to the Champions League group stage.
