A spacewalk, and now the stars!

AEK did not just beat Aris. It overwhelmed them. The 5-0 scoreline at New Philadelphia reflected a match in which the hosts took control early and never allowed their visitors to settle.

A flowing move involving Mijat Gacinovic, Lovro Majer and Barnabas Varga brought the opening goal. AEK then sought a second before Aris could recover. After the 20th minute, the hosts became more cautious, allowing Aris a brief attempt to respond, but goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha was never seriously threatened.

Aris showed more ambition for the first 10 to 15 minutes of the second half and pushed higher up the field. AEK waited for its opening, and it arrived in the 62nd minute when Gacinovic crossed for Varga to head home. From then on, the match turned into a celebration. Marin, Koita and Zini added the other three goals.

AEK also had another Varga goal ruled out by a narrow offside decision. For the same reason, a penalty awarded to Petros Mantalos was effectively cancelled. The numbers captured the gulf between the teams: Aris managed seven attempts, only two on target, while AEK produced 21, with 10 on target and half of those finding the net.

Majer was the standout performer. The Croatian midfielder repeatedly created openings with his left foot and supplied the assists for Varga and Marin. Varga, meanwhile, scored in his fourth straight game this season and now has six goals in domestic and European competition. AEK will host LASK on Tuesday, seeking a winning start to the Champions League league phase and a realistic chance of advancing.