Having lost their first encounter, AEK set out to prove their worth to Panionios. This time around the result was more positive but not quite what AEK would have wanted. After ninety minutes the game finished level at one goal apiece.
Truth be told, the first half was mostly unremarkable. The affair was very back and forth with neither side able to conjure up any significant chances.
It took ten minutes for the away side to get a shot off. Balaban got the ball to Mitroglou on the edge of the box. The Olympiacos man was able to get a shot off but it was too high. At around the half-hour mark, Panionios had a break but it was squandered by Riera. The Spanish forward lobbed the ball right into Saja's arms.
As for AEK, Baha almost had a chance early on but was flagged offside. Later on, Scocco took a shot from outside the box but it was deflected straight to Macho who was not troubled in the slightest. For the longest time, the Athenians struggled to break Panionios down as the opposition played a very defensive game.
A breakthrough came in the dying minutes. Scocco's corner kick ultimately found Blanco whose header was kept out by Macho. However, Blanco picked up the rebound and crossed it to Lyberopoulos. Lyberopolous seized the opportunity and put AEK in the lead.
In contrast to the clean first half, the 48th minute saw some unsportsmanlike conduct from Riera. After defending a corner, the Spaniard struck Kafes' head from behind. Riera should have arguably been sent off for this but the ref did not see it.
The next forty minutes were very dull from a neutral perspective. Being a goal down, Panionios should have pushed for an equalizer but Lemonis' tactics were still defense minded.
In fact, the first real chance occurred in the 85th minute when Lyberopoulos' free kick hit the wall. Leonardo collected the ball and had a long range effort. His shot was comfortably saved by Macho.
The game seemed over but Panionios had one last go at it. Galitsios received the ball on the right flank and squared it to Mitroglou. The young striker had an easy tap it and it was enough to salvage a point.
