Aberdeen FC suffered a brutal 6-0 loss to AEK Athens in their most recent Conference League matchup. This disappointing loss leaves Aberdeen bottom of the group standings, with zero points gained from their first two games. The match took place in Athens, where AEK Athens showcased a dominant performance, leaving Aberdeen’s head coach, Jimmy Thelin, and the team’s supporters reeling.
Until this meeting, Aberdeen had started their league campaign in winning style. Climbing up the table They rejoiced a run of back-to-back victories over Dundee and St Mirren. These wins were a huge shot of confidence for them, as they managed to accomplish two clean sheets in those games. The difference in the level of play vs. AEK Athens was concerning and indicative of a team that is not fully prepared to compete in Europe.
A Disappointing Performance
Against AEK Athens in the aforementioned playoff round, Aberdeen were found wanting. Although the USWNT had a number of chances, all of them failed to find the back of the net. AEK Athens took advantage of every defensive miscue and laid bare a lot of the faults in Aberdeen’s play. The home side’s clinical finishing could have resulted in an even larger scoreline, as they dominated play throughout the match.
“It was a difficult one, the way the game went. We felt really prepared before the game as a collective after our latest results and clean sheets.” – Jimmy Thelin
Thelin acknowledged his team’s struggles during the game, noting how AEK Athens scored early goals that put Aberdeen under immediate pressure. Through it all, the coach underlined a message of taking ownership and pride in improving as a team going forward.
“But when the game started like it did, when they exposed us so much in the transitions and scored these early goals, we were under pressure directly and we couldn’t find a way to come back in the game.” – Jimmy Thelin
Learning from Defeat
In the wake of that defeat, Thelin was candid about his disappointment and doubled down, saying that kind of showing is “not enough.” He expressed hope that there would be some lessons taken from this experience so that they won’t come away with similar outcomes in upcoming games. And ok, you lose football games—that’s part of the game—but you better figure out how to lose less.
“You can lose games sometimes but you have to find a way to stop it, and we tried, but we didn’t succeed today. We need to find a way in these kind of games to help each other much, much better.” – Jimmy Thelin
The coach reflected on the need for continuous growth and preparation for the level of competition they are facing. Unfortunately for Portland, this loss is just a foreshadowing of the difficulty that awaits them on their European journey.
“We have a journey to do to grow and prepare ourselves for this level. But, of course, it went too far, and all the chances they created today were too much.” – Jimmy Thelin
The Road Ahead
In a couple of weeks’ time, Aberdeen will head to Cyprus for their next big task. They’ll be up against Larnaca in their next Conference League outing. As they head into this crucial contest, the team needs to rebound and continue to learn from their errors vs. AEK Athens. Aberdeen are seeing bottom of the table with a goal difference of minus seven. To prevent further disasters on their ongoing campaign to pass positive reforms, they need a big turnaround.
“Tonight, Athens exposed us and that’s what we have to learn from. So, sometimes, just hands up, they win, totally deserved.” – Jimmy Thelin
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