A late Konstantinos Galanopoulos goal separated the sides as AEK Athens defeated Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 in the opening leg of their UEFA Champions League 3rd qualifying round tie at Stadion Maksimir on Tuesday - making it seven matches unbeaten in all competitions for the visitors.
Substitute Galanopoulos made an impact following his introduction and put AEK Athens ahead in the 90th minute. The midfielder combined with Rodolfo Pizarro.
Matías Almeyda's side also found the net thanks to Steven Zuber on the way to victory, with Marko Bulat on target for the home side.
Bulat had given the home team the lead six minutes before half-time. That lead, however, did not last as Zuber hauled the sides level after 59 minutes. Levi García supplied the assist. That spurred on AEK and the Galanopoulos winner came after 90 minutes.
Highlights
WHAT IT MEANS:
Seeking to bounce back from a first-leg defeat, Dinamo Zagreb travel to face AEK Athens for the second leg of the Champions League 3rd qualifying round tie on 19 August.
IN THE GOALS:
With zero goal, Bulat, Zuber, and Galanopoulos rank joint first in the early scoring charts for the 2023/2024 Champions League season.
INJURY CONCERN:
No players were removed due to injury.
VAR IN ACTION:
No calls were reversed as a result of VAR.