NK Celje vs AEK Athens

AEK Athens tore Celje apart with a devastating four-goal display in their Europa Conference League round of 16 first leg on Thursday night. The Greek side raced into a 3-0 lead before half-time, leaving the Slovenian hosts shell-shocked at Stadion Z'dežele. Barnabás Varga set the tone with a third-minute header from a Răzvan Marin corner, and AEK never looked back. Aboubakary Koita doubled the lead on 33 minutes after a slick pass from Luka Jović, before Mijat Gacinovic made it three just three minutes later. Harold Moukoudi added a fourth early in the second half to complete the rout. Celje dominated possession but managed just one shot on target all evening, while AEK were ruthlessly clinical with 11 efforts on target from 20 attempts. The comprehensive away victory gives AEK Athens one foot firmly in the quarter-finals ahead of next week's second leg in Greece. For Celje, overturning a four-goal deficit will take something truly miraculous.