Hetemaj’s year? (AEK 1-0 Bolton)
By: Chris Paraskevas | August 8th, 2008By all reports, the Finland international and former Helsinki man is a player transformed. The 21 year-old
spent last season on loan at Apollon but appears to have sensed his chance this year, producing a series of impressive pre-season performances. The sudden rise of Perparim Hetemaj can only be good news for Giorgos Donis, who’s midfield could use an extra a pair of fresh, energetic legs.
In any case, the 1-0 win against Bolton came thanks to Hetemaj’s brilliant long-range effort in the 17′ minute but it is difficult to gauge the relative strength of the kitrinomavi ahead of what should be the closest race for the Greek Super League title in years. The positives far outweighed the negatives though:
- It was another victory to boost the confidence of a side largely put together during the space of this summer
- We were up against decent opposition
- We won
- We scored from open play
It’s a result that we shouldn’t get too excited about but it certainly shows that Donis’ side are improving ahead of the first leg of our UEFA Cup Qualifying tie against Omonia next Thursday. All players came through unscathed after this most recent outing against the English Premier League relegation candidates, adding yet another building block to what have been slow but increasingly steady pre-season preparations by the former Larissa manager.
As a side note, the new summer signings were unveiled in front of a smallish crowd at the OAKA, including Greece internationals Basinas and Kyrgiakos:
Line-ups:
AEK: Saja, Edson Ramos Silva, Majstorovic, Alexopoulos (Gentzoglou 81′)Juanfran (Κουτρουμάνος 78′), Rivaldo (Lagos 61′), Rikka (Pliatsikas 62′), Scocco (Burns 78′), Ζorbas (Tachtsidis 62′) Hetemaj (Georgeas 78′), Pavlis (Blanco 46′)
Bolton: Jaaskelainen, Andy O’Brien, Samuel, Cahill, Shittu, Nolan (Dzemaili 60′), Joey O’Brien (Riga 80′), Taylor (Vaz Te 60′), Muamba (Cohen 67′), Davies (Gardner 60′), Obadeyi (Steinsson 22′)
Category: AEK Athens Team News
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Comments
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Hey man, Hows Nathan Burns going over there?
Posted from
Australia
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Hi Daniel. It’s been a slow start to his AEK career but the good news for Burns is that AEK’s manager doesn’t mind giving youth a chance. He will need to be patient, as he is down the pecking order at the moment and one would expect him to play the role of a late-substitute for most of the upcoming season. As long as he keeps his head down and works hard - and remains patient - he has a bright future ahead of him. Nothing is certain though
Watch this blog, I might do a little write-up on his progress soon. Being an Aussie myself, I obviously hope he succeeds at AEK…Posted from
United States
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