Stergioudas Skrekis Theodoridis Ravousis Nikolaou Papadopoulos (Tasos) Tsamis Nikoloudis Vagner Papaioannou MavrosThis was the first time in the campaign that AEK had to play the first leg away and not in Nea Philadelphia. So AEK went to England for the second time, this time to Loftus Road in London. The ground was full capacity (32000 spectators) but 4000 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 AEK missing a good chance on the 79th minute when Nikoloudis passed to Mavros but he failed to capitalise. The game ended with AEK 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 MavrosScorer:Mavros(2), Papaioannou
...the reply came after a fortnight and QPR entered a New Philadelphia stadium full of AEK 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 AEK history and he was nicknamed the God by the AEK fans. The minutes passed though without AEK 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 AEk 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 AEK decided to substitute Stergioudas with Xristidis. Like Tasos was the penalty-taker specialist, Xristidis was the penalty-saver specialist.
The penalty kicks then started...
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