Razvan Marin sent AEK Atenas back into the Champions League with the kind of strike that changes a night in one swing. His direct free kick in the 21st minute beat LASK and stood up as the only goal in a 1-0 win on Tuesday at the AEK Arena.
The shot mattered because it arrived at the right moment and from the right range. Marin took aim from the edge of the area, and from there the math is simple: a direct free kick leaves no second touch, no scramble and no chance for the defense to reset. AEK had about 32,000 spectators behind it, and the finish into the top corner gave the home side the early lead it needed in the first round of the first phase.
That opening mattered even more because this was AEK Atenas’ return to the competition, while LASK was making its debut in the league phase of the top continental tournament. AEK needed a clean start in a match that carried the feel of a test of whether it could belong again, and Marin gave it one before the contest had time to settle into a pattern.
But the game never fully became comfortable for the home side. Brignoli had to save a chance from Horvath at the start of the second half, and later Jovic headed in what looked like an equalizer before the goal was ruled out because Lovro Majer was offside. Those moments kept LASK alive and underlined that AEK’s lead was narrow rather than secure.
LASK kept pushing until the end, and Kalajdzic had the final chance to level the score, but AEK held on. The match was booked and tense in the margins as well, with Marko Nikolic shown a yellow card in the 12th minute, Bogarde in the 42nd and Andrade in the 73rd, a reminder that neither side was allowed much room to breathe.
For AEK, the result is the kind of opening that can steady a Champions League campaign before it grows harder. For LASK, it is a missed chance to leave with a point from a game that stayed within reach. What comes next now matters because the win has given AEK momentum, but the performance also showed how thin the line is between control and danger in this phase.
