AEK U19 Beat Shakhtar 2-1 for First Ever Youth League Win

By Taki Panos

AEK's first taste of the UEFA Youth League, back in 2018, was six games of pain. Their second campaign now has a moment worth framing. On Wednesday afternoon the club's under-19 side beat Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 at Kingsmeadow in London on matchday 2 of the league phase, and as Newsit reported, it was the first Youth League win in AEK's history. They got it away from home, too, which made the celebrations at the final whistle feel even louder.

For anyone new to this competition, the Youth League is UEFA's under-19 tournament for clubs, running alongside the Champions League. Shakhtar's nominal "home" game was played in London, according to Sport.ua, and the timing gave the day a neat symmetry. AEK's senior side, the same team behind the 3-0 win over OFI built on corners, were due to face Shakhtar's first team in London in the Champions League at 22:00 Greek time that same night, per Monobala. The kids went first, and they set the bar.

AEK came out with purpose and were the better team for most of the first half. The opener arrived in the 19th minute. Anastasios Amanatidis swung in a corner, and defender Athanasios Filippiadis found himself in space to finish from close range for 0-1, as Onsports described it. Set pieces winning games for AEK seems to be a family habit this month. Amanatidis was a constant problem down the right, and Dimitrios Sioutas also went close before the break with a shot that slid just wide, per Talentabout.

The second goal was the pick of the afternoon. In the 52nd minute Grigorios Golfinos slipped a lovely pass through to Argyris Argyriou, who took one clean touch to set himself and beat the Shakhtar goalkeeper for 0-2. Transfermarkt's match sheet credits Golfinos with the assist, and the Greek reports describe the same move. It was the kind of goal that tells you a young team has been coached to look forward first, rather than just to survive the game.

Shakhtar did not fold. They pushed higher, won more of the ball, and in the 66th minute Vladyslav Tyutyunov pounced on a lapse at the back to make it 1-2, per Newsit and Transfermarkt. The Ukrainians nearly found an equaliser in the 74th minute, when Ryan Roberto's shot from the edge of the box flew just past the post. After that, AEK held their shape, kept their heads and saw out the last quarter of an hour without too many scares.

When it was over, the players headed straight for the stand where the AEK supporters were gathered and celebrated with them, Gazzetta reported, with video to prove it. The result lifts AEK to four points from their first two games, after a goalless draw with LASK at home in their opener, as Monobala listed. That is a very respectable start, and it means the club is no longer chasing a first point or a first win.

The history makes this one sweeter. In their debut Youth League season in 2018-19, AEK's under-19s lost all six group games in a group with Ajax, Benfica and Bayern Munich, including 6-0 and 8-1 defeats to Ajax, according to Transfermarkt. Newsit also recalled that winless first campaign. Going from that to a win and a draw from the first two games is real progress, and it reflects work done at the academy level, not a single lucky afternoon.

It was a team effort, but a few names deserve a mention. Filippiadis scored from defence, Argyriou finished the best move of the match, and Golfinos and Amanatidis supplied the two assists. The starting eleven listed by Fosonline and Transfermarkt was Ioannou in goal, then Tabakoglou, Psyropoulos, Filippiadis, Rinnis, Golfinos, Skakic, Frantzeskakis, Sioutas, Amanatidis and Argyriou. If even two or three of them push into the senior squad over the next few years, days like this will look important in hindsight.

The schedule does not get easier. AEK travel to Manchester City on Tuesday, October 20, at 17:00 Greek time, then host Real Madrid on November 4 and visit Como on November 24, per Monobala and Newsit. The draw for the round of 32 is set for December 11, with the knockout rounds starting on February 2 and 3, 2027, and the final on April 19, 2027. Four points already on the board give AEK some breathing room before those big tests.

It also fits a broader good spell for Greek youth football. The Greece under-21 side won nine of their ten qualifiers for the 2027 European Championship and are heading to a two-legged playoff in November, as the Hellenic Football Federation noted. Youth results rarely make headlines outside Greece, but they are where the next generation of national team players learn to win abroad, and more of that experience can only help.

My take: I would not crown anyone after one win, and two of the next three Youth League opponents are Manchester City and Real Madrid. But I love what this result says. AEK went to a neutral ground against a well-drilled Ukrainian academy, scored twice, survived a late push, and did not panic. For a club whose last Youth League adventure ended with zero points, that is a genuine step forward, and the players clearly felt it too.

Next up is Manchester City away on October 20. If you are following from abroad and want help catching Greek teams on European nights, our guide on how to stream Greek soccer live is a good place to start. For more results and takes on Greek teams and athletes everywhere, keep an eye on our Greek Sports section. History made, on to the next one.

Sources: Newsit, Onsports, Fosonline, Gazzetta, Monobala, Transfermarkt, Sport.ua.

Image: Yellow flag with a black double-headed eagle in AEK colors by Kanchelskis, cropped, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).