Bittersweet

By: Chris Paraskevas | May 4th, 2009

On the one hand, borderline depression and utter devastation at having woken up at 3:30 am with the belief that AEK could end a seven year trophy drought in what after eight minutes appeared might be circumstances as stunning as that famous 4-0 win over Olympiakos last season.

Blanco’s double strike again served to emphasize what belief can do to a side with discernible quality but who have at times appeared to lack motivation this season – the next 112 minutes highlighted the equally potent effects of a lack of it.

Where the time was right to kill off our opponents, Bajevic’s men showed a timidity that is always punished by the Piraeus club and a ruthlessness and resilience that has characterized their 13 and still-counting years of total dominance on the Greek domestic scene.

Initially having outwitted his opposite number Ernesto Valverde, Bajevic might have made himself a hero with all AEK fans had Sotiris Kyrgiakos perhaps have stayed on the pitch – his ensuing behaviour on the sideline after he was taken off with injury perhaps contributing to Derbyshire’s painful 96th minute equalizer but in truth, it was a bizarrely conservative approach to the final five minutes of extra time – with the scores level and the gavroi down to nine men – that cost AEK what should have been their famous Cup win.

From an objective standpoint though, Olympiakos are deserved winners of their 24th Greek Cup by virtue of their willingness to drive forward in attack and commit bodies forward, perhaps embodied best by their continuing attempts to hit AEK on the break despite having two men less at the end of the game.

And as much as penalties are indeed a lottery and possibly the most inappropriate way to end an epic tie, the fact remains that Valverde’s side appeared better-drilled and conspicuously more confident than there still-impressive opponents.

It would be easy to take a more emotional standpoint and speak poetically about injustice and the fact that both side should have won this match – but the fact remains that Olympiakos did so and did so deservedly.

My congratulations to them as I cling to bittersweet memories of my club – albeit on the losing side – being part of perhaps the greatest match in the history of Greek domestic football and certainly one that will live long in the memory of a generation of fans.