AEK Athens defeats Aris 5-0 in Greek Super League ahead of LASK fixture
Barnabas Varga scored twice and Lovro Majer provided two assists as AEK Athens defeated Aris 5-0 at the Allwyn Arena in round three of the Greek Super League.
Early pressure and opening goal
AEK Athens secured a 5-0 victory against Aris at the Allwyn Arena in Nea Philadelphia during the third round of the Greek Super League on 5 September 2026. The result marked a response for the home side following a league draw against Kifisia. Managed by Marko Nikolic, AEK started with Thomas Strakosha in goal, behind defenders Lazaros Rota, Harold Moukoudi, Francisco Relvas, and Stavros Pilios. Aris started Marko Velio in goal, with Noah Fadiga, Bosko Sutalo, Jensen, and Richards in defence, while Peter Bachirou and Uros Racic operated in central midfield behind Tino Kadewere. Inside the opening minute, a free kick from Lovro Majer found Luka Jovic, whose header deflected off a defender for a corner. In the tenth minute, AEK dispossessed Manu Garcia in midfield. Mijat Gacinovic delivered a through pass to Majer, who passed across to Barnabas Varga to tap the ball into an empty net. Aris protested for a foul on Garcia, but the referee and VAR upheld the goal.
Defensive interventions before the interval
AEK maintained territorial dominance throughout the first half while Aris struggled to create clean chances. In the 18th minute, Pilios shot wide from inside the penalty area after receiving a pass from Majer. Velio parried a long-distance strike from Rota in the 26th minute, with Gacinovic unable to convert the follow-up attempt. Aris, managed by Michalis Grigoriou, pushed forward after the half-hour mark. Benjamin Garre crossed from the right flank in the 30th minute, but Rota cleared the ball ahead of Giannis Gianniotas. Racic sent a long-range attempt wide in the 41st minute, followed by an off-target shot from Loren Moron in the 42nd minute. In the 44th minute, Rota made a sliding tackle on Gianniotas following a through ball from Racic, preventing a one-on-one chance against Strakosha and keeping AEK ahead 1-0 at halftime.
Second-half scoring run
The home side accelerated their attack after the restart and doubled their advantage in the 62nd minute when Gacinovic crossed for Varga to score with a header. Five minutes later, AEK broke forward on a three-man counterattack as Aris took defensive risks. Majer supplied his second assist of the evening to set up Razvan Marin, who converted from close range in the 67th minute for a 3-0 lead. Video assistant referee reviews subsequently cancelled another AEK goal and overturned a penalty awarded to the hosts. Aboubakary Koita scored the fourth goal of the match, before Zini added the fifth goal shortly before second-half stoppage time.
- Barnabas Varga opens the scoring into an empty net after an assist from Lovro Majer.
- Lazaros Rota makes a tackle on Giannis Gianniotas to preserve AEK's 1-0 halftime lead.
- Barnabas Varga headers in a cross from Mijat Gacinovic to make it 2-0.
- Razvan Marin scores on a counterattack assisted by Lovro Majer.
- Aboubakary Koita scores the fourth goal for AEK Athens.
- Zini scores the fifth goal to conclude the 5-0 victory.
Continental preparations
The five-goal win added to AEK's recent offensive record, following earlier four-goal matches against Levski and Iraklis. The Athens club now transitions to European competition, where they will host Austrian club LASK in the UEFA Champions League league phase opener on 8 September 2026 at 19:45 local time at the Allwyn Arena. Aris leaves the capital after failing to register a shot on target against Strakosha across the 90 minutes.
