Cypriot journalists praised AEK for the victory over Dnipro-1 and are sure that now the team from Larnaca is simply obliged to enter the group stage of the Europa League. In their opinion, Dnepr-1 turned out to be not at all as formidable as it was first thought. It is possible and necessary to play with the Ukrainian team only to win, and the final score of the match could be more pleasant than AEK if the Cypriots did not relax after the second goal. However, no one doubts that AEK will win a second victory in Cyprus and advance to the next round.
Sigma Live
“AEK has actually secured access to the group stage of the Europa League,” says a journalist from the Sigma Live website. He tells readers that AEK could well have won more confidently against Dnipro-1, but even a 2:1 victory actually removes all questions about who should go further.
“An excellent victory for AEK over Dnipro-1 with a score of 2:1 in the playoff round of the Europa League. A victory that inspires optimism and inspires hope for a successful season in European competition. Now Larnaca has a big advantage in order to reach the group stage of the Europa League. It remains just not to lose in the return match.
AEK started the game perfectly, opening the scoring early: in the 16th minute, Englezu entered the penalty area, found Altman, who sent the ball into the net. An almost perfect combination. At the 29th minute, AEK made the score 2:0, this time the Ukrainian player Svatok scored. At the 90th minute, the Ukrainians reduced the score to 2:1. After a corner kick, Svatok headed into the AEK goal. The Ukrainians tried to score the second goal in order to at least draw, but were forced to finish the match with ten men after Sarapiy was sent off. The match took place on a neutral field in Slovakia, at Košická Futbalová Aréna.
The second leg will take place next Thursday at the AEK Arena, where the Larnaca club is obliged to win a second victory, this time in front of their fans, and at the same time take part in the Europa League group stage for the third time.
Super Sport FM
The journalist of the Super Sport FM website notes the importance of getting into the group stage of the Europa League. These are not just good bonuses from UEFA, but also important for the prestige of any team, since the Conference League is considered a second-rate tournament, which is practically not followed by club scouts for top championships.
“AEK entered the field in Slovakia with the aim of achieving a positive result against a team that played the first official match after an eight-month “holiday”, and it is worth noting that the guests did a great job with this. José Luis Oltra's team initially dictated the pace of the game, and it is not surprising that they scored two goals in the first half. In the second half of the meeting, AEK slowed down, and by the end of the match tried to keep the winning result, which is why he conceded a goal. Fortunately, AEK still managed to win 2:1, so everything will be decided in the second leg. But it seems that everything is already clear in this confrontation.
Entering the group stage of the Europa League will help AEK “become visible in a prestigious tournament, which can help sell players successfully in the future. And let's not forget about the financial component. Prize money from UEFA will help AEK feel much more financially confident.”
Match.cy
“AEK has made a huge step into the group stage of the Europa League,” a Match.cy journalist is sure that the club from Larnaca should not have any problems in the second leg against Dnipro-1. The advantage of AEK in the first meeting was too great.
“The team from Ukraine has clearly suffered due to the lack of official matches, and the team of Jose Luis Oltra took advantage of this. The Spanish coach had to make changes to the starting lineup in less than 24 hours. In addition to Tomovic, who was punished by UEFA yesterday, Piric was also not in the team due to the discomfort he experienced on the eve of the game. But even this did not affect the outcome of the match. AEK was much stronger and deservedly won. This is a very important victory for Oltra. She proved that AEK deserves to play in the Europa League. It remains to take only one step - to beat the Ukrainians in the second leg. But it seems that there will be no problems with this.
Anton PROKOPOV
