Aris Limassol and Slovan Bratislava are two fixtures in European football with a long history of success at both the domestic and continental level. While Aris is widely considered to be the most successful club in Cypriot football, winning 18 league championships and 14 cups, Slovan Bratislava likewise dominates the Slovak Super Liga with 11 titles and has also found success in European competition.
The two clubs have met twice in European competitions, both in qualifying rounds for the UEFA Champions League in recent years. Their first meeting came in 2014 when Slovan hosted Aris in the second qualifying round. 🏟 In front of over 15,000 fans at Tehelné pole Stadium, Slovan took an early lead through Zdeněk Ondrášek's penalty kick. However, Aris fought back in the second half as Constantinos Charalambidis leveled the score. With the aggregate tie heading back to Cyprus locked at 1-1, everything was set up for a tense second leg.
At GSP Stadium, the return fixture did not disappoint. 欄 Aris looked to have done enough through an early goal from Konstantinos Laifis, but Slovan grabbed a crucial away goal just before halftime when Róbert Mak finished beautifully. The 90 minutes could not separate the two teams on 2-2 aggregate, sending the tie to extra time. Fatigue set in and neither side could find a winner, meaning the match went to a penalty shootout to decide who would progress. Slovan showed their experience and composure from the spot, converting all five penalties to eliminate Aris 5-3 on penalties.
Their second meeting four years later came under very different circumstances, as the COVID-19 pandemic had led to scheduling changes for European qualifying. 掠 In summer 2022, Slovan hosted Aris in the second qualifying round once again, with the tie now a single leg due to delays. Played behind closed doors without supporters, the intensity was still just as high on the pitch. Slovan took the lead through Rafael Ratao's strike, but Aris hit back just after the break through Vytautas Černiauskas to level the scores. With the 90 minutes ending 1-1, extra time was needed to separate the teams. However, no further goals were forthcoming and eventually it was Slovan who triumphed 4-2 in the resulting penalty shootout to advance.
In two tightly contested European ties, Slovan Bratislava has come out on top against Aris Limassol. While both remain giants in their respective domestic leagues, their Champions League qualifying duels show the fine margins that exist at the highest level in Europe. It will be exciting to see if these storied clubs cross paths again in future European competitions. Their history suggests any meeting would be a hard-fought battle going down to the wire. - https://mbscore.tv/match/aris-limassol-vs-slovan-bratislava-18965194