Injury time was AEK’s saving grace against Panathinaikos, with a very late goal giving the Enosis the quarterfinal win, 4-3 on aggregate. Though AEK lost the match 2-3, their 2-0 loss in the first leg was enough to see them progress through to the semi final where they will meet PAOK, who triumphed 1-0 over ten-man Olympiakos at Toumba.

Michel scored the all-important goal for AEK in the eighth minute of the injury time, but owed it partly to a howler by Panathinaikos goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis, who misjudged the course of the Spaniard’s free-kick shot from about 40 metres away.

Panathinaikos played with ten men from the 74th minute but had seemed able to hold on to its advantage, only for new signing Michel to punish it in the end. AEK took the lead on the night in the 12th minute courtesy of Panayiotis Lagos, whose low shot from just inside the area beat Panathinaikos keeper Karnezis, who should have done better.

Panathinaikos responded nine minutes later, as a Sebastian Leto corner was headed into the six-yard box from where an unmarked Djibril Cisse scored with a header. A fantastic right-foot volley from outside the box by Gilberto Silva during first-half injury time gave the Greens a 2-1 advantage with the game’s most spectacular goal.

A replica of the first Panathinaikos goal came in the 63rd minute, with a corner from the right headed to the second post by Josu Sarriegi where Loukas Vintra headed the ball past goalie Sebastian Saja for 3-1.

The match was stopped for about three minutes as about ten AEK fans invaded the athletics track around the pitch after the third Panathinaikos goal. Turning from hero to villain, Vintra saw a second yellow card at the 74th minute, leaving Panathinaikos with ten men, though he should have been dismissed on 33 minutes after a woeful challenge on AEK’s Papa Bouba Diop.

Cisse could have sealed it for Panathinaikos four minutes from time but Nikos Karambelas saved AEK with a lunging slide that saw the Frenchman severely miss-hit his shot. AEK had a chance to snatch the win just before the end but the shot by new signing Nabil Baha went over the bar in the last minute of injury time, before Michel settled the tie with his free kick.

PAOK win behind closed doors Meanwhile, PAOK beat Olympiakos 1-0 behind closed doors at Toumba on February 2 and advanced to the semifinals of the Greek Cup with a 2-1 aggregate score.

The Thessaloniki team had Dimitris Salpigidis to thank for its only goal, seen only by the 200 fans that were allowed in the stadium, while the hundreds of rather enthusiastic PAOK supporters cheering on their team outside were contained by police using tear gas.

Salpigidis scored for PAOK after the hosts had kept up a long period of pressure for most of the first half and the start of the second.

Just minutes earlier he and Vieirinha had wasted two great chances. In the 57th minute Vladan Ivic headed the ball from the edge of the box into the path of Salpigidis, who controlled the ball and slotted it deftly past diving goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis.

Vieirinha had also missed PAOK’s greatest opportunity just two minutes into the game when his effort hit the woodwork.

Olympiakos was left with ten men in the 86th minute when Belgian striker Kevin Mirallas hit Ivic in the face, earning himself a red card. Despite PAOK having only 200 officials in the stadium, Mirallas was hit in the face by what appeared to be a glass bottle as he was walking off the pitch.

The Reds’ biggest chance came in the 90th minute, but Vassilis Torosidis’s shot by was parried by PAOK keeper Costas Chalkias.