HISTORY and ruins.
Not the city of Athens, but the story of a horror night for Aberdeen in Europe.
Jimmy Thelin’s Dons recorded their worst-ever result in continental competition, going down by six to an AEK side who genuinely could have hit double figures.
The fact they didn’t is the ONLY thing Aberdeen’s players can cling onto from this abject display.
It’s worse than their infamous 5-1 loss to Sigma Olomouc from 2009, albeit against much, much better opposition.
After seeing signs of recovery in back-to-back Premiership wins, all eyes will be on Thelin’s players when they face Hibs on Sunday to see what scars they bear and how they bounce back from such a bruising experience.
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The first half here was one of the doings to end all doings, with AEK on top from the moment Aboubakary Koita opened the scoring 11 minutes in.
The only question was how many the Greeks would help themselves to as Aberdeen got increasingly ragged, chasing shadows.
The answer was another five, Koita scoring the next before Niclas Eliasson and Razvan Marin netted.
Even with the game won, AEK didn’t show much mercy and drilled home their dominant display with a stunning team goal from sub Luka Jovic with nine minutes left before Derek Kutesa completed the hammering.
AEK had promised a hostile atmosphere as they aimed to get their Conference League campaign up and running, but a major section of their stand behind the goal was closed off due to a Uefa ban for fan fireworks and banner breaches.
But it was in the Dons’ end before kick-off where things got tasty, with excitable riot police pushing some Aberdeen supporters away from congregating at the bottom corner of their section.
That turned out to be as much spark as anyone saw from red shirts as, following a few minutes of Aberdeen getting forward, the Greeks gripped this contest with both hands.
AEK’s movement and physical presence, with man-mountain Frantzdy Pierrot leading the line, meant they looked dangerous every time they went up the pitch.
But Aberdeen should still have done better when the opener did come in the 11th minute.
AEK had moved them around but overhit a cross which the Greeks managed to salvage, but the Dons had got back into their shape.
Skipper Graeme Shinnie won’t be happy with the way Koita ghosted past him and while his shot from 25 yards was well struck, Dimitar Mitov couldn’t get a hand to it.
The Dons were rocking now and were lucky to not go two behind just minutes later to Felipe Relvas’ header from Scot James Penrice’s free kick.
Mitov was rooted to the spot as it went past him but got lucky as it cracked off the base of the post and away.
The Bulgarian had absolutely no chance with the second when it did come on 18 minutes, though, as Koita struck again.
Aberdeen were torn to shreds, pulled from right to left, leaving a huge gap for AEK to feed Lazaros Rota in the middle of the park 25 yards out before he clipped a pass in for the African.
Once he was in behind Aberdeen’s fate was sealed with a deft low shot to the far corner which Mitov couldn’t keep out.
This was real dangerous territory for the Dons, who were in proper peril and stood to take a hammering now.
The third came on 27 minutes and it was a defensive calamity, starting with Mitov passing out to Jack Milne on the edge of his own box.
His attempt to turn inside out of danger didn’t work, as Koita caught him, passed inside for Orbelin Pineda who then hit Eliasson on his outside for him to shoot across Mitov and in off a flailing Devlin boot.
Thelin reacted by replacing Keskinen with defender Alfie Dorrington in a desperate attempt to stem the bleeding.
AEK nearly added their fourth on 33 minutes, though, but Mitov stopped Pierrot’s header on the line after he bludgeoned two defenders out of the way to meet a cross from the right.
It could have been so much worse before the Dons got back into the dressing-room.
Domagoj Vida hit the post, Pierrot was stopped right in front of goal then shot wide when through one-on-one, before Dorrington blocked Eliasson’s shot on the line with his knee.
Thelin’s men wore looks of both relief and shock as they trudged in at the break – and you could have forgiven them for wanting to stay there.
Shinnie and Adil Aouchiche were left behind, as Thelin brought on Dante Polvara and Ante Palaversa to shore his midfield up.
That didn’t stop the fourth, though, as Marin acrobatically flicked home with the Dons defence missing after Pierrot’s angled shot came back off the post.
The best of the lot was next, with a succession of passes leaving Aberdeen in a spin before sub Jovic skipped round Mitov to score.
It would have been worse had the keeper not turned away Jensen’s scuffed clearance minutes later to deny the sixth.
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That came with three left, though, Kutesa racing clear of Dorrington to fire past Mitov and complete the rout.
It nearly got even worse, as Jovic smashed the bar with a header in injury time – but this time the Gods showed some small mercy.
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