Irureta applauds AEK support

RC Deportivo La Coruña coach Javier Irureta paid tribute to the AEK Athens FC fans who packed out the Apostolos Nikolaidis stadium, and revealed that he believed their support was the reason the home team scored a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw.

Credit to fans
"Most of the credit must go to the fans," he said. "I thought it was the crowd that lifted AEK back into the match after we scored in the first half. They lifted the spirit of their players and they got better and better."

Tsiartas leveller
AEK had looked to be slipping towards defeat as the game came to a close. Striker Yiannis Okkas and substitute Ilija Ivic missed fantastic chances to equalise as Deportivo dug in. However, the impressive Vassilios Tsiartas secured a point with an 85th-minute equaliser, shooting low beneath Deportivo goalkeeper José Molina.

'Too much space'
AEK coach Dusan Bajevic was left ruing his side's poor first-half performance. "We did not start the match the way we had planned it. We conceded too much space and gradually let them advance into our area. The one thing I did not want happened - to concede an early goal."

Pandinai scores
It came after just 12 minutes. A corner from Víctor Sánchez was met at the near post by Uruguayan striker Walter Pandiani, who headed past the advancing Dionisis Chiotis. Deportivo were dominant in the early stages, passing their way through a lacklustre AEK midfield, but Bajevic felt there was a marked improvement as the game wore on.

'Different story'
"We could have conceded a second goal in the first half," he said. "However, I congratulate my players for their discipline and their efforts in the second half. We could even have won because we created many goalscoring chances. The second half was an entirely different story. We were careful not to concede another goal and created chances."

Concentration problems
The result was AEK's seventh successive draw in the UEFA Champions League, after six from as many matches in last season's competition. "We were not too respectful of them," insisted Bajevic. "Deportivo's first-half performance proves they are a great team. Our problem was that we did not concentrate and were hesitating on the pitch."

'Fair result'
Despite conceding an equaliser with only five minutes to go, Irureta felt the result accurately reflected the state of play. "It was a fair result," he said. "In the first half we controlled the match but with the passage of time AEK gradually improved and took control. They could have even scored a winner in the final stages so we are pleased with the result."

'Feisty AEK'
The visitors seemed to tire in the second half, as AEK found renewed energy. Irureta made several substitutions, but Deportivo still conceded that late goal. "AEK were like we expected them to be - they were feisty," said Irureta. "I do not think the changes I made had anything to do with the final result. As a team we were getting very tired so it was only natural for us to concede a goal."

Okkas concurs
AEK's star striker Yiannis Okkas, culpable of missing the best chance of the game, concurred with Irueta. "I think it was a fair and proper result against a good European side," he told uefa.com. "They showed signs of being a great team, making the most of their first chance to score. It is still too early to rule us out."