AEK Athens 1-0 LASK: Razvan Marin Goal Marks a Greek Return to Europe's Top Table
AEK Athens beat LASK 1-0 at the Allwyn Arena on Tuesday, September 8 — a Razvan Marin goal in the 21st minute was enough to open Matchday 1 with a home win for the Greek side, on a night that mattered just as much for the away team's history as for the result.
AEK's Long Road Back to Europe's Top Table
Founded in 1924 by Greek refugees from Constantinople, AEK Athens carry that origin in their name — Athlitiki Enosi Konstantinoupoleos, "Athletic Union of Constantinople." Their best-ever European Cup run was the 1968-69 quarterfinals, and Tuesday's win came after a long absence from Europe's premier club competition, making this league-phase campaign a genuine landmark for the club.
LASK's Historic First Champions League Match
LASK's football section was founded in 1908, and in 1965 the club became the first team from outside Vienna to win the Austrian championship, breaking nearly six decades of capital-club dominance. Based in Linz, Austria's third-largest city, this Matchday 1 defeat was still a historic first: LASK's debut appearance in the Champions League league phase.