Wed 2 March 1977, UEFA Season Quarter-Final Round, First Leg

Stergioudas
Skrekis
Theodoridis
Ravousis
Nikolaou
Papadopoulos (Tasos)
Tsamis
Nikoloudis
Vagner
Papaioannou
Mavros

This was the first time in the campaign that A.E.K had to play the first leg away and not in Nea Philadelphia. So A.E.K went to England for the second time, this time to Loftus Road in London. The ground was full capacity (32.000 spectators) but 4.000 Greeks made their presence known. The Danish ref awarded 2 penalties to QPR in the first 10 minutes. The first on the 6th minute and the second on the 10th minute. Both times Francis was the scorer. Three minutes before the end of the first half QPR scored again to make it 3-0. It seemed that QPR was revenging Derby County's defeat. The second half found both teams playing well but cautious with A.E.K missing a good chance on the 79th minute when Nikoloudis passed to Mavros but he failed to capitalise. The game ended with A.E.K fans thinking that the dream was gone but wait...

Wed 16 March 1977, UEFA Season Quarter-Final Round, Second Leg

Stergioudas (118' Xristidis)
Intzoglou
Ravousis
Nikolaou
Theodoridis
Nikoloudis
Tsamis (97' Zarzopoulos)
Vagner
Papaioannou
Tasos
Mavros

Scorer: Mavros(2), Papaioannou

...the reply came after a fortnight and QPR entered a New Philadelphia stadium full of A.E.K fans singing for two hours before the kick-off. Whatever happens the fans were proud of their team and the players achievements. Little they knew that they were going to celebrate another historic day, a day that needs to be written with gold letters for all to remember that you are not out until you are out.

It was the 11th minute when Nikolaou passed the ball to Papaioannou who crossed for Mavros to score with his right leg. An early goal was needed and it came through Thomas Mavros a player who wrote his own A.E.K history and he was nicknamed the God by the A.E.K fans. The minutes passed though without A.E.K being able to capitalise on the early goal until the 65th minute when Thomas Mavros passed three QPR players and from just inside the penalty area scores his and AEKs second goal. Parks, the QPR goalkeeper, had to retrieve the ball from his net for the second time. Eight minutes before the end of the game Vagner had the ball and he crossed it inside the penalty area of QPR, Papaioannou jumped (my memory from that goal is that Papaioannou seemed to jump early and when he realised that he remained on air for few seconds more...AIR Papaioannou then) and with a header puts the ball in the net. During extra time A.E.K had a penalty claim turned down by the German ref and a Papaioannou shot saved by Parks. As it seemed that the game will go on penalties the late Fantrock the Dutch coach of A.E.K decided to substitute Stergioudas with Xristidis. Like Tasos was the penalty-taker specialist, Xristidis was the penalty-saver specialist.

The penalty kicks then started...

• Tasos 1-0

• McLidock 1-1

• Theodoridis 2-1

• Masson 2-2

• Ravousis 3-2

• Collins 3-3

• Nikoloudis miss 3-3

• Easton saved 3-3

• Vagner 4-3

• Bowles 4-4

The first 5 penalties were not enough since both teams scored 4 each. Now it was the turn of the penalty sudden death.

• Intzoglou 5-4

• Givens 5-5

• Zarzopoulos 6-5

• Sachs 6-6

• Papaioannou 7-6

• Web saved 7-6

What followed the Save of Xristidis can not be described using text, one had to be there to understand why elderly fans were crying...tears of joy because A.E.K made them once again proud...because they were A.E.K.