Aris Thessaloniki FC kept their Europa League round of 32 hopes alive after Nikos Lazaridis’s late strike earned Hector Cuper’s side a 3-2 triumph over Club Atletico de Madrid in Spain.
Having opened their Group B campaign by claiming the scalp of the holders in Greece, Aris were dreaming of a repeat when Sergio Koke struck in the second minute after collecting a ricochet from the cross bar.
Atletico rallied and were soon ahead thanks to goals from Diego Forlan and Sergio Aguero, although the pendulum swung again with Koke’s penalty and Lazaridis’s 81st-minute winner securing a first win on Spanish soil for a Greek club.
Aris’s bright start came about after David de Gea’s error allowed Kostas Mendrinos a shot at goal which bounced back off the bar and into the path of the grateful Koke.
Koke fired home through a scrambling Atletico defence sending the travelling Aris fans delirious.
But there was little time to celebrate as Forlan also profited from a rebound off the woodwork, Simao having rattled it with a curling shot from the edge of the area.
Aguero’s third goal in as many European outings helped Atletico take the lead soon afterwards, the Argentinian international latching on to Alvaro Dominguez’s defence-splitting pass before sliding the ball past the backtracking Michalis Sifakis in the Aris goal.
Looking to seal a third consecutive group triumph, Quique Sanchez Flores’s team burst out of the blocks after the restart and were almost handed a third when Kristi Vangjeli directed Tomas Ujfalusi’s centre against the underside of his own crossbar.
Against the run of play it was the visitors who equalised, Koke smashing in a penalty after Dominguez had felled Lazaridis, pulling his shirt in view of the referee.
The stage was set for a dramatic finale and after De Gea and Diego Godin both failed to deal with an Aris corner, Lazaridis fired in to grab all three points.
The goal was extremely fortuitous, Atletico’s attempts to clear the ball resembling a pinball game as Aris bodies eventually saw the ball fall favourably.
Aris now entertain Rosenborg BK on Matchday 6, needing to equal Atletico’s result away to section winners Bayer 04 Leverkusen in order to pip the holders to a last-32 spot.
Hector Cuper admitted that luck played a role in his side’s win, but said his team would not be denied a deserved victory.
“We are very happy we achieved a great victory. In these games there are human factors and motivation.
“We gave everything on the pitch. There were moments when luck favored us, because we have faced difficult situations during the second half, but I repeat that nobody can rob us of the ambition we showed.
“What my players did today on the pitch was amazing and they could not lose. In football many factors play a role.”
A delighted Koke told UEFA.com after the match that “only a castastrophe” could deny his side advancing now.
“I’m so proud of the performance we put in here. I’m delighted for our victory and of course for the goals I scored too.
My family and friends were here to see me and that made it all the more special.
“We’ll be looking to achieve qualification by winning that one and we hope we can cope with the pressure of knowing our destiny is in our own hands,” Koke added.
“The Aris fans gave a special example of what supporting a team is tonight; they were perfectly behaved and were behind us throughout the 90 minutes. You can bet they will be right behind us again in our next match. Only a catastrophe can stop us from going through now.”