Sebastian Larsson gave a real reprimand to the team and then leveled the match.
But AIK lost their first Europa League match against Vorskla Poltava after a dream come true.
– We knew we were going to face a team with good ball skills, playing centrally, but it’s as if we weren’t there, says Sebastian Larsson.
AIK started at the beginning of a nightmare Europa Conference League. The team started at Tele2 Arena in Stockholm where Ukraine’s Vorskla Poltava cannot play at home due to the ongoing war in the country.
The players and coaches said before the match that they are not only playing for the club but for the whole country.
And it took just four minutes for Poltava to take a lead after Ruslan Stepaniuk headed 1-0 against AEK’s passive defence.
However, the recognition came in the 17th minute. Bilal Hussein played well with Nicola Stefanelli who hit the ball. The goalkeeper saved, but Stefanelli managed to score the rebound.
“I’m totally annoyed with myself”
However, Vorskla continued to lead the match and create chances. In the 24th minute, Yuri Kozelenko made it 2-1 after the AIK midfield failed to keep up.
Sebastian Larsson was really annoyed and gave his teammates a real reprimand when there was a ‘cold break’ right after the goal.
– I think most people saw what she looked like. We knew we were going to meet a team with good ball skills and that we would play centrally, but it looks like we’re not there, it’s as if we are today, he said on the Sportbladet broadcast and continues:
– I’m upset with myself, the whole team. It’s not about pointing fingers. I think we will… well, I’ll save some words for later.
Stand for dream goals
One minute before the break, Larson made it 2-2.
– We change the game, which we do very few times, and then there are skins. He says it was good to have her in.
AIK had better control in the second half. John Gediti and Ammar Abdel Rahman Ahmed were replaced in the 58th minute and activated the visiting team. But in the 68th minute, Artem Zhelidin stood up to score an incredible goal. The substitute scored a difficult goal from a cross and gave the team the lead again.
AIK was chasing the equalizer. Abdel Rahman Ahmed made a good shot in the last minute, but the goalkeeper saved it and the match ended 3-2. Gediti was furious after the match and nodded with violent gestures.
Another blow for AIK is that Mikael Lustig, who was replaced before the quarter-finals, was forced to step down before the end of the match.
The rematch was held at Friends Arena on Wednesday.