AEK and PAOK to face off in another Greek Cup final
AEK and PAOK will once again contest the Greek Cup final, as has been the habit of the last few years, with the exception of 2022 when Panathibnaikos won the trophy. The question now is where and when the final will take place.
In the first semifinal AEK eliminated Olympiakos with a 4-2 aggregate score: In the first leg at Nea Filadelfia AEK outplayed the Reds to win 3-0 and practically seal its ticket to the final.
In Wednesday’s second leg Olympiakos did win in Piraeus, but the 2-1 score on the night was not enough to prevent its elimination.
PAOK had a far easier task against struggling Lamia, having seen holder Panathinaikos out in the previous round. The Thessaloniki giant defeated Lamia 5-1 away and on Thursday it got a 1-1 draw at home to advance on a 6-2 aggregate score.
Having a team from Athens and one from Thessaloniki was always going to prove a headache for the federation. Its decision to take the final to Cyprus proved premature, as it had apparently failed to secure the approval of the Cypriot government and the Nicosia police, which turned down the Greek request to have the final staged at Nicosia’s GSP Stadium.
Another solution could have been to have the final staged between Athens and Thessaloniki, i.e. at Volos, whose mayor (and Volos soccer club owner) Achilleas Beos flatly rejected any such prospect on Thursday.
The other question is when the final can be held, given that the original date of May 20 is the eve of the general election – so May 17 or 24 appear more likely dates.
