OFI Crete won the Greek Super Cup for the first time in their history by defeating AEK Athens 5-4 on penalties following a 2-2 draw.
Building on their triumph in last season's Greek Cup, the Cretan club secured the trophy at the Pankritio Stadium after AEK forward Barnabas Varga missed the decisive penalty in the shootout.
AEK Athens controlled early possession under manager Marko Nikolic as they attempted to dictate play, while Christos Kontis's OFI side remained defensively organized to pursue counter-attacking opportunities.
Despite controlling the tempo, AEK struggled to unlock the Cretan defense. Their first major chance arrived in the 21st minute when Aboubakary Koita played a through ball to Razvan Marin, whose shot was saved by OFI goalkeeper Nikolaos Christogeorgos.
OFI created their first threat three minutes later in the 24th minute. Thiago Nuss capitalized on a mistake by AEK defender Bernardo Relvas and found space in a dangerous position, but his shot flew wide.
In an intense match supported by fans from both teams, AEK opened the scoring in the 38th minute. A swift counter-attack concluded with Luka Jovic receiving the ball outside the penalty area, where the Serbian forward struck a left-footed shot into the net for 1-0.
OFI nearly equalised before half-time in the 43rd minute when a series of rebounds favored Nuss at the corner of the six-yard box, but young AEK goalkeeper Dimitris Balamotis produced a save to preserve the lead at the break.
Second-half comeback
OFI threatened early in the second half as Giannis Apostolakis dribbled past AEK full-back Lazaros Rota in the 48th minute, only to drive his effort into the side netting. AEK responded immediately a minute later when Rota passed to Jovic, but the striker's weak shot was gathered by Christogeorgos.
Both managers made tactical changes as the half progressed. AEK substitute Alexander Majer, who replaced Koita in the 63rd minute, missed a chance to make it 2-0 in the 67th minute when he ran through one-on-one from a Jovic pass, only for OFI defender Nikos Athanasiou to make a sliding tackle.
OFI capitalised on that defensive stop to equalise in the 69th minute. Aitor Cantalapiedra set up Thanasis Androutsos, who placed a finish into the net to bring the score to 1-1.
The momentum shifted toward the Cretan club, who completed the turnaround in the 76th minute. Eddie Diekmann delivered a free-kick into the area and Stefanos Kostoulas headed past Balamotis to make it 2-1. The goal stood following a Video Assistant Referee check for offside.
Late equaliser and penalty shootout
Nikolic reacted by bringing on Zini and Petros Mantalos for Juho Kairinen and Marin in the 81st minute. AEK created a chance in the 84th minute when Mantalos sent a free-kick toward Jovic, but Christogeorgos saved the header.
AEK continued to attack during stoppage time and equalised in the 98th minute. Majer delivered a corner and Zini headed the ball into the net to make it 2-2, forcing the final into a penalty shootout.
In the shootout, Varga proved unfortunate for AEK as the only player to fail from the spot. Christogeorgos saved Varga's kick, paving the way for OFI to seal a 5-4 victory.
Jovic, Majer, Mantalos, and Zini scored their spot-kicks for AEK. Aaron Iseka, Andreas Bouchalakis, Diekmann, Athanasiou, and Androutsos converted for OFI, with Androutsos scoring the winning penalty after Christogeorgos denied Varga.
Team lineups
AEK Athens: Dimitris Balamotis (Thomas Strakosha 99'), Lazaros Rota (Christakopoulos 99'), Harold Moukoudi, Bernardo Relvas, Stavros Pilios, Manolis Kaloskamis, Juho Kairinen (Zini 81'), Razvan Marin (Petros Mantalos 81'), Aboubakary Koita (Alexander Majer 63'), Barnabas Varga, Luka Jovic.
OFI Crete: Nikolaos Christogeorgos, Stefanos Kostoulas, Triantafyllos Poungouras, Praxitelis Sielis, Giannis Apostolakis (Giannis Theodosoulakis 74'), Thanasis Androutsos, Giannis Karachalios (Andreas Bouchalakis 56'), Nikos Athanasiou, Thiago Nuss (Aaron Iseka 86'), Aitor Cantalapiedra (Kanellopoulos 86'), Taxiarchis Fountas (Eddie Diekmann 74').
