Manchester City 3 – FC Aris Thessaloniki 0

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Italy international striker MARIO BALOTELLI (45) of Manchester City, a summer acquisition from defending Serie A and UEFA Champions League titlist Inter Milan who set the Eastlands club back 24.0 million English pounds, controls the ball despite the double-team from the FC Aris Thessaloniki pair of defender NIKOS LAZARIDIS (24) and Greece World Cup reserve midfielder ATHANASSIOS PRITTAS (55) at the City of Manchester Stadium in northern England. (Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
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UEFA Europa League
Round of 32
2/24/2011

3 – Manchester City (ENG) ————— Dzeko 7′, 12′, Y. Toure 75′
0 – FC Aris Thessaloniki (GRE)

A pair of goals in the first dozen minutes from the recent, big money purchase propelled English Premier League club MANCHESTER CITY to a decisive 3-0 defeat of visiting Greek side FC ARIS THESSALONIKI in the return leg of the UEFA Europa League knockout Round of 32 tie.

Bosnia / Herzegovina international EDIN DZEKO took advantage of a glaring error at the back by FC Aris Thessaloniki’s veteran center back NIKOS LAZARIDIS to bag the first of his two goals for Manchester City in only the 7th minute. The 24-year-old striker added a second strike five minutes later after a pass from Argentina World Cup attacker CARLOS TEVEZ. Dzeko, recently purchased by the Eastlands club from German Bundesliga side Vfl Wolfsburg for a transfer fee of 27.0 million English pounds, is still in search of a first tally in the Premier League but now does boast four goals in Cup competitions for his new employers.

Ivory Coast World Cup midfielder YAYA TOURE scored Manchester City’s third goal with a quarter of an hour to play with a long range drive that deflected in off FC Aris Thessaloniki’s Albania international defender KRISTI VANGJELI. The 29-year-old, a summer purchase who cost 27.0 million English pounds from Spanish La Liga champion FC Barcelona, recorded his first goal in Europe this season in the process. Toure, who won a Greek Super League title with FC Olympiakos Piraeus during the 2005-06 campaign, has scored five goals in all competitions for the Eastlands club this season.

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Greece World Cup reserve goalkeeper MICHALIS SIFAKIS of FC Aris Thessaloniki watches the shot of Manchester City’s Italy international striker MARIO BALOTELLI (45), who has already registered three goals in the UEFA Europa League this season, rebound off the far post at the City of Manchester Stadium in northern England. (Jon Super/AP)
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MANCHESTER CITY : Hart – Boateng, Lescott, Kompany (Zabaleta 35′), Kolarov – Barry, Y. Toure, Silva (Wright Phillips 80′) – Tevez (Vieira 79′), Balotelli, Dzeko

FC ARIS THESSALONIKI : Sifakis – Vangeli, Ronaldo, Lazaridis, Michel – Prittas, Faty – Neto (Kaznaferis 79′), Toja, Sakata (Mendrinos 46′) – Bobadilla (Pardo 61′)

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(Nigel Roddis/Reuters)
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(Nigel Roddis/Reuters)
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(Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
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(Jon Super/AP)
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(Nigel Roddis/Reuters)

FC Aris Thessaloniki 0 – Manchester City 0

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Bosnia / Herzegovina international striker EDIN DZEKIC (10) of Manchester City, who has yet to score a Premier League goal following a transfer from German Bundesliga club Vfl Wolfsburg costing 27.0 million English pounds, competes for the ball with FC Aris Thessaloniki’s well-traveled Colombia international midfielder JUAN CARLOS TOJA at the compact but intense Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium in Greece. (Vladimir Rys/Getty Images)
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UEFA Europa League
Round of 32
2/15/2011

0 – FC Aris Thessaloniki (GRE)
0 – Manchester City (ENG)

Two sides strugling with goal-scoring issues had a hard time creating genuine opportunities as visiting English Premier League club MANCHESTER CITY and Greek Superleague outfit FC ARIS THESSALONIKI battled to a goalless draw in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League knockout round of 32.

Considering the massive amounts of money Manchester City have spent assembling the squad, one would think scoring a goal against the team currently running sixth in the Greek Superleague might be a good bet…but on the other hand, FC Aris Thessaloniki have a European home unbeaten string that was inaugurated during the 1969-70 football season and involves 26 matches now.

Although Manchester City will still be favored for the return leg, the fact of the matter is defensive-minded FC Aris Thessaloniki are in good position to win the tie with a draw on the away-goals rule.

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Youthful Italy international striker MARIO BALOTELLI of Manchester City, a purchase of 24.0 million English pounds from Italian Serie A and UEFA Champions League titlist Inter Milan this past summer, attempts an ambitious overhead kick a la Manchester Derby dandy Wayne Rooney against FC Aris Thessaloniki at the intimidating Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium in Greece. (Grigoris Siamidis/Reuters)
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FC ARIS THESSALONIKI : Sifakis – Vangjeli, Ronaldo, Lazaridis, Michel – Neto (Castillo 88′), Prittas, Faty, Sakata – Toja – Bobadilla (Cesarec 72′)

MANCHESTER CITY : Hart – Richards, K. Toure, Boateng, Kolarov – Y. Toure, Barry – Wright Phillips (Balotelli 77′), Tevez, Silva – Dzeko (Zabaleta 84′)

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Argentina World Cup striker CARLOS TEVEZ of Manchester City, who is easily the second-leading scorer with 18 goals in the English Premier League but still in search of a first strike in Europe this season, cannot escape the clutches of FC Aris Thessaloniki’s Brazilian defender NETO (2) at the always-electric Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium in Greece. (Giorgios Nissiotis/Reuters)

City Cannot Cope With Greek Mystique

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Argentine striker RAUL BOBADILLA (22) of FC Aris Thessaloniki, recently arrived on loan from struggling German Bundesliga club Borussia Moenchengladbach, eyes the ball in front of the goal with a massive mural hanging behind at the always-decorative Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium in Greece. (Giorgos Nissiotis/AP)
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The compact KLEANTHIS VIKELIDIS STADIUM, home ground of Greek Superleague club FC ARIS THESSALONIKI, is more than three times smaller than world-renowned Old Trafford in England, where Manchester City just battled with intra-city, arch-rival Manchester United over this past weekend.

Still, the charged-atmosphere and resulting electricity once again served to power THEOS TOU POLEMOU (God Of War), who continued the home unbeaten run in all European competiton which now encompasses 26 games over 43 years.

Since the start of the 1969-70 football season, many have tried to topple FC Aris Thessaloniki at the Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium in Greece. All have failed. Money-bags MANCHESTER CITY, in spite of all the millions of English pounds spent, must now add the club name to the list :

Cagliari Calcio — Italy
FC Chelsea — England
SK Rapid Vienna — Austria
SL Benfica Lisbon — Portgual
Perugia Calcio — Italy — (twice)
AS St. Etienne — France
FC Ipswich Town — England
Sliema Wanderers — Malta
KSC Lokeren — Belgium
FC Hapoel Be’er Sheva — Israel
GKS Katowice — Poland
FC Servette Geneva — Switzerland
RC Celta de Vigo — Spain
FC Zimbru Chisinau — Romania
AS Roma — Italy
Real Zaragoza — Spain
Red Star Belgrade — Serbia
Sporting Braga — Portugal
NK Slaven Belupo — Croatia
Jagillonia Bialystok — Poland
FK Austria Vienna — Austria
Atletico Madrid — Spain
Bayer Leverkusen — Germany
BK Rosenborg Trondheim — Norway
Manchester City — England

FC Aris Thessaloniki Knock Out Title Holder Atletico Madrid

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Spanish striker and club captain KOKE (10) of FC Aris Thessaloniki settles the ball in front of BK Rosenborg Trondheim’s Ghana World Cup midfielder ANTHONY ANNAN (4) at the Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium in the northern Greek port city. (Nikolas Giakoumidis/AP)
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A goal in injury time on either side of the halftime whistled allowed Greek side FC ARIS THESSALONIKI to maintain its noteworthy 40-year-plus home unbeaten record and advance to the knockout round of the UEFA Europa League this spring at the expense of the defending title holders Atletico Madrid of Spain.

Goals from Croatian striker DANIJEL CESAREC and substitute French midfielder RICARDO FATY, who arrived from Italian Serie A side AS Roma on a free transfer this summer, carried FC Aris Thessaloniki to a stirring 2-0 victory over visiting Norwegian outfit BK ROSENBORG TRONDHEIM.

Cesarec’s third goal in the UEFA Europa League this season ties him with Guatemala international striker CARLOS RUIZ for the FC Aris Thessaloniki team lead; the 27-year-old Croatian, signed from FC Asteras Trioilis this summer, tops the Greek Super League club with five goals in all competitions this term, as well.

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(Nikolas Giakoumidis/AP)
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FC ARIS THESSALONIKI
home record in Europe since 1969-70 season
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69/70 — 1-1 — Cagliari (Italy)
70/71 — 1-1 — FC Chelsea (England)
74/75 — 1-0 — SK Rapid Vienna (Austria)
79/80 — 3-1 — Benfica Lisbon (Portugal)
79/80 — 1-1 — Perugia (Italy)
79/80 — 3-3 — AS St. Etienne (France)
80/81 — 3-1 — FC Ipswich Town (England)
81/82 — 4-0 — Sliema Wanderers (Malta)
81/82 — 1-1 — SC Lokeren (Belgium)
94/95 — 3-1 — FC Hapoel Be’er Sheva (Israel)
94/95 — 1-0 — GKS Katowice (Poland)
99/00 — 1-1 — FC Servette Geneva (Switz)
99/00 — 2-2 — RC Celta Vigo (Spain)
03/04 — 2-1 — FC Zimbru Chisinau (Romania)
03/04 — 1-1 — Perugia (Italy)
05/06 — 0-0 — AS Roma (Italy)
07/08 — 1-0 — Real Zaragoza (Spain)
07/08 — 3-0 — Red Star Belgrade (Serbia)
07/08 — 1-1 — Sporting Braga (Portugal)
08/09 — 1-0 — NK Slaven Belupo (Croatia)
10/11 — 2-2 — Jagiellonia Bialystok (Poland)
10/11 — 1-0 — FK Austria Vienna (Austria)
10/11 — 1-0 — Atletico Madrid (Spain)
10/11 — 0-0 — Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)
10/11 — 2-0 — BK Rosenborg Trondheim (Norway)

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(Nikolas Giakoumidis/AP)
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BK Rosenborg Trondheim manager NILS ARNE EGGEN (left) observes as all the scrap paper greeting the visiting Norwegian side’s arrival is gathered by the grounds crew at the Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium in the northern Greek port city. (Sakris Mitrolidis/AFP/Getty Images)

Freddy Adu Along For Ride With FC Aris Thessaloniki

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United States international winger FREDDY ADU (11), two weeks after making his Greek Super League debut since arriving on loan from Portuguese side SL Benfica of Lisbon, fires what will be the game-winning goal for FC Aris Thessaloniki during time added on to the first half against FC Ergotelis Heraklion at the Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2010.
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FC ARIS THESSALONIKI is all the rage today, at least in the requests for information here at this blog. Not surprising, given the Greek side’s notable 3-2 upset victory of defending UEFA Europa League champion Atletico Madrid in Spain yesterday. If only on this side of the Atlantic Ocean, FC Aris Thessaloniki is an interesting outfit as the current club of, perhaps, THE most over-hyped athlete ever in the long and wide history of all American professional sports — FREDDY ADU.

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Now 21 years old, United States international midfielder FREDDY ADU of FC Aris Thessaloniki was originally signed to his first professional football contract by Major League Soccer side D.C. United at 14 years of age.

Before ever having so much as kicked a single ball in training, Adu instantly became the highest paid player in Major League Soccer with a four-year contract at $ 500,000 per season — guaranteed.

At the same time, the sporting goods manufacturer Nike signed the youngster to an endorsement deal worth another $ 1,000,000.

For some, it was rather easy to see that, in spite of the Adu’s obvious and abundant talent, a 14-year-old boy was always going to have difficulty succeeding in ANY league competing against grown men, particularly with so much hope and expectation of an entire national program piled on top.

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Although out on loan in Greece, United States international FREDDY ADU is still under contract to traditional Portugese powerhouse SL Benfica of Lisbon, who paid a transfer fee of $ 2.0 million dollars to acquire the American midfielder in late July of 2007.
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In the middle of his fourth season in MLS, Adu left Real Salt Lake in mid-season to sign for SL Benfica of Lisbon, the 32-times champion of Portugal. Now 18, Adu made his club debut for Benfica in mid-August of 2007 during a UEFA Champions League qualifying match against Danish side FC Copenhagen. Despite showing promise, Adu would make only 11 appearances (two goals) for Benfica during the 2007-08 league campaign in Portugal.

Over the next two seasons, Adu was sent out on loan to three different clubs in three different countries. After just nine Ligue 1 matches with AS Monaco in France, the American played only three league games with CFO Belenenses of Lisbon to start the 2009-10 schedule. Last January, after Adu was dropped from the squad by the new Belenenses manager, Benfica reached a loan agreement with FC Aris Thessaloniki in Greece.

Adu had an assist on his debut for FC Aris Thessaloniki and, two weeks later, followed up with a first-career goal in the Greek Super League to win a match against FC Ergotelis Heraklion on Valentine’s Day. The American also added a goal for in the 3-0 Greek Cup quarterfinal victory over FC Skoda Xanthi three days later. In all, Adu totaled a dozen appearances with the two goals for the club known as the God of War.

Adu did appear as a substitute for FC Aris Thessaloniki in the 2010 Greek Cup Final, a 1-0 loss to FC Panathinaikos Athens, as well.

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United States international winger FREDDY ADU (11) celebrates his first career goal with FC Aris Thessaloniki in front of two huge banners depicting the club badge featuring Ares, the Greek God of War, at the Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium in Greece.
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Things have changed somewhat in Greece to start this 2010-11 season. After scoring five goals in 16 Greek Super League games to finish the schedule, United States international striker EDDIE JOHNSON ended his loan spell at FC Aris Thessaloniki and returned to Premier League club Fulham Athletic in England. In the meantime, Freddy Adu has made not a single appearance in any competition, twenty-one matches in all, this term for Argentine manager HECTOR CUPER.

Adu’s year-and-a-half loan period is not set to expire until the end of the 2010-11 season; however, while FC Aris Thessaloniki’s prospects for UEFA Europa League knockout football for this spring look very good, the chances of the United States international midfielder getting some first team football with Cuper’s Greek side do not.

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FC Aris Thessaloniki – Squad Stats

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As Spanish winger JAVITO (20) trails behind, Spanish striker and club captain SERGIO CONTRERAS PARDO (10), better known as KOKE, accepts congratulations from eventual game-winner and Greek defender NIKOLAOS LAZARIDIS (24) after scoring his second goal of the game for FC Aris Thessaloniki from the penalty spot in the 51st minute to level the UEFA Europa League match with current title holders Atletico Madrid at the Estadio Vicente Calderon in the capital city of Espana. (Andres Kudacki/AP)
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In conjunction with Greek side FC ARIS THESSALONIKI’s clutch 3-2 victory over defending UEFA Europa League champion Atletico Madrid away in Spain as well as today’s feature article about United States international midfielder FREDDY ADU, the blog had cause to compile the season statistics for the God of War :

key : (player appearances/goals)

GREEK SUPER LEAGUE
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GK : Sifakis 10, Juanma 3 — Vellidis

DF : Lazaridis 10/2, Michel 10/0, Neto 9/0, Vangjeli 7/0, Ronaldo Guiaro 6/0, Oriol 5/1, Kouloucheris 3/0 — Agtzidis, Bougaidis, Papazaharias

MF : Javito 11/2, Toja 10/0, Calvo 9/0, Nafti 9/0, Faty 7/0, Mendrinos 7/0, Prittas 6/0, Cesnauskis 5/0, Portilla 3/1, Kaznaferis 1/0 — Adu, Economopoulos, Katidis

FW : Ruiz 11/0, Cesarec 9/2, Koke 9/0, Fabiano 3/0, Aravidis 1/0

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UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE
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GK : Sifakis 9 — Juanma, Vellidis

DF : Michel 9/0, Lazaridis 8/1, Ronaldo Guiaro 8/0, Vangjeli 5/0, Neto 4/0, Oriol 2/0, Kouloucheris 1/0 — Agtzidis, Bougaidis, Papazaharias

MF : Javito 9/1, Prittas 8/0, Toja 8/0, Calvo 6/2, Cesnauskis 6/0, Faty 5/0, Kaznaferis 4/0, Mendrinos 4/0, Nafti 4/0 — Adu, Economopoulos, Katidis, Portilla

FW : Koke 9/2, Ruiz 7/3, Cesarec 6/2 — Aravidis, Fabiano

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GREEK CUP
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GK : Sifakis 1 — Juanma, Vellidis

DF : Lazaridis 1/0, Michel 1/0, Neto 1/0, Ronaldo Guiaro 1/1, Vangjeli 1/0 — Agtzidis, Bougaidis, Kouloucheris, Papazaharias

MF : Calvo 1/0, Javito 1/0, Nafti 1/0, Prittas 1/0, Toja 1/0 — Adu, Economopoulos, Cesnauskis, Faty, Katidis, Kaznaferis, Mendrinos, Portilla

FW : Koke 1/0, Ruiz 1/0 — Aravidis, Cesarec, Fabiano

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NOTE = statisitics from http://www.fcaris.gr

Bayer Leverkusen 1 – FC Aris Thessaloniki 0

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Spanish striker and FC Aris Thessaloniki club captain KOKE (10), who played for both French club Olympique Marseille and Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon before signing on in Greece in August of 2006, looks to possess the ball despite the presence of the Bayer Leverkusen pair of defender STEFAN REINARTZ and midfielder SIDNEY SAM (18) at the BayArena in western Germany. (Patrick Stollarz/AFP/Getty Images)
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UEFA Europa League
Group Stage
11/4/2010

1 – Bayer Leverkusen (GER) ———— Vidal 90′
0 – FC Aris Thessaloniki (GRE)

A sloppy goal in the last minute handed host BAYER LEVERKUSEN a 1-0 victory and three vital points opposite visiting Greek side FC ARIS THESSALONIKI in Group B of the UEFA Europa League.

FC Aris Thessaloniki might have gotten the better of play in the first half although Bayer Leverkusen were unlucky when a shot from Chile World Cup midfielder ARTURO VIDAL smacked off the crossbar approaching the half hour mark.

Germany international goalkeeper RENE ADLER made several sharp plays to keep the sheet clean for Bayer Leverkusen.

FC Thessaloniki’s Spanish winger JAVITO (Francisco Javier Peral Periane) found himself put through in the 51st minute but had his effort blocked by the 25-year-old in between the sticks for Bayer Leverkusen; Lithuania international midfielder DEIVIDAS CESNAUSKIS, who had a spell with Hearts of Midlothian in Scotland, also failed in his one-on-one attempt with Adler on the hour mark.

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Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper RENE ADLER, the 25-year-old who was won nine caps to date for the national team of Germany and four clean sheets in UEFA Europa League competition this season, plays the ball with his feet as FC Aris Thessaloniki’s Spanish midfielder TONI CALVO (7) comes flying in at the BayArena. (Frank Augstein/AP)
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Bayer Leverkusen grabbed the winner in the last minute when Germany international midfielder SIMON ROLFES, a second half substitute who has 21 caps (one goal) to his credit, played his countryman SIDNEY SAM into the box on the left; with a nifty move, Sam cut the ball back to make space for a combination cross / shot which FC Aris Thessaloniki’s Greece World Cup reserve goalkeeper MICHALIS SIFAKIS could only parry.

Arriving on the scene was Chile World Cup midfielder ARTURO VIDAL of Bayer Leverkusen, the club leader with four Bundesliga goals going into the match, who managed to bundle the ball through the legs of visiting Brazilian defender MICHEL for his second goal in the UEFA Europa League this campaign.

Bayer Leverkusen took over the top of Group B with the win, one point ahead of second place Spanish La Liga outfit Atletico Madrid; FC Aris Thessaloniki are only just ahead of Norwegian club BK Rosenborg Trondheim in third with four points.

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FC Aris Thessaloniki’s Colombia international midfielder JUAN CARLOS TOJA, who played 45 games with FC Dallas of the United States’ Major League Soccer before signing for Romanian side FC Steau Bucharest in August of 2008, is knocked off the ball by Bayer Leverkusen’s Switzerland World Cup striker EREN DERDIYOK (19) at the BayArena. (Hermann J. Knippertz/DAPD)
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BAYER LEVERKUSEN : Adler – Balitsch, Friedrich, Reinartz, Kadlec – Bender (Rolfes 46′), Vidal – Sam, Kaplan (Barnetta 63′) – Helmes, Jorgensen (Derdiyok 46′)

FC ARIS THESSALONIKI : Sifakis – Vengeli, Guiaro, Lazaridis, Michel – Faty, Toja – Javito, Calvo (Kaznaferis 79′) – Koke (Prittas 90+1′), Ruiz (Cesnauskis 57′)

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Greece World Cup reserve goalkeeper MICHALIS SIFAKIS of FC Aris Thessaloniki stares at the turf as club leading scorer, Chile World Cup midfielder ARTURO VIDAL, signals the game-winning goal for Bayer Leverkusen in the 90th minute at the Bay Arena. (Frank Augstein/AP)
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After fumbling the ball with his feet over his own goal line to give the game-winner to Bayer Leverkusen at the end of the match, FC Aris Thessaloniki’s 29-year-old Brazilian defender MICHEL GABRINI PEREIRA, who spent two seasons with Standard Liege in nearby Belgium several years ago, stares off into the crowd at the BayArena in western Germany. ( Michel, Helmes (Frank Augstein/AP)
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MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

FC Aris Thessaloniki 0 – Bayer Leverkusen 0

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Spanish winger TONI CALVO (Antonio Calvo Andres) of FC Aris Thessaloniki, who moved to Greece in 2007 after a season with Barcelona B in the Segunda Division, has his legs tangled and hits the turf as Bayer Leverkusen’s 21-year-old Croatian defender DOMAGOJ VIDA signals he is not to be held accountable at the Kleanthis Veikelidis Stadium. (Grigoris Siamidis/Reuters)
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UEFA Europa League
Group Stage
10/21/2010

0 – FC Aris Thessaloniki (GRE)
0 – Bayer Leverkusen (GER)

A game with very limited chances for either club saw visiting German side BAYER LEVERKUSEN draw 0-0 with FC Aris Thessaloniki in Group B of the UEFA Europa League.

FC Aris Thessaloniki, who came into the match with Bayer Leverkusen on the heels of a dreadful 4-0 defeat at home to AEK Athens in the Greek league, continued their remarkable, decades-long unbeaten European record at home in Greece — a run that has reached 23 consecutive games now and stretches back to their debut match in Europe against English side FC Chelsea during the 1970-71 Cup Winners’ Cup competition.

Czech Republic international defender MICHAL KADLEC of Bayer Leverkusen came close to breaking the deadlock just before the first half but had his effort saved by FC Aris Thessaloniki’s diving goalkeeper MICHALIS SIFAKIS, a reserve on Greece’s World Cup entry in South Africa this past summer.

Bayer Leverkusen, with the point pocketed in Greece, remains unbeaten in the round-robin stage of the UEFA Europa League and sits atop Group B, a solitary point ahead of Spanish side Atletico Madrid and FC Aris Thessaloniki.

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Czech Republic international defender MICHAL KADLEC of Bayer Leverkusen tries to negotiate the FC Aris Thessaloniki midfielder pair of the Frenchman RICARDO FATY (14), an off-season acquisition from Italian Serie A side AS Roma, and the Spanaird JAVITO (20), another former Barcelona B player, at the Kleanthis Veikelidis Stadium. faty (Sakis Mitrolidis/AFP)
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FC ARIS THESSALONIKI : Sifakis – Vangeli, Guiaro, Lazaridis, Michel – Faty, Toja – Javito, Toni Calvo – Ruiz, Koke (Mendrinos 70′)

BAYER LEVERKUSEN : Adler – Vida, Friedrich, Reinartz, Kadlec – Bender, Balitsch (Vidal 61′) – Rolfes (Derdiyok 76′) – Kaplan, Jorgensen – Helmes

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Guatemala international striker CARLOS RUIZ – El Pescadito (The Little Fish) – of FC Aris Thessaloniki, who played seven years in Major League Soccer for Los Angeles Galaxy, FC Dallas and FC Toronto before moving to Greece this summer from Mexican outfit FC Puebla, chest traps the ball in front of Bayer Leverkusen defender STEFAN REINARTZ at the Kleanthis Veikelidis Stadium in Greece. (Grigoris Siamidis/Reuters)

FK Austria Vienna 1 – FC Aris Thessaloniki 1

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Guatemala international striker CARLOS RUIZ of Greek side FC Aris Thessaloniki has his shirt pulled by 21-year-old FK Austria Vienna defender GEORG MARGREITTER at the Franz Horr Stadion in the Austrian capital city. (Reuters photo)
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UEFA Europa League
Playoff round, second leg
8/26/2010

1 – FK Austria Vienna (AUT) ——— Linz 56′
1 – FC Aris Thessaloniki (GRE) —— Ruiz 42′

The Little Fish (El Pescadito) left The Violets floundering with a goal a few minutes before the halftime break as visiting FC ARIS THESSALONIKI held FK AUSTRIA VIENNA to a 1-1 draw in the second leg of the UEFA Europa League playoff tie.

Guatemala international striker CARLOS RUIZ, a seven-year veteran of Major League Soccer in the United States signed this summer by FC Aris Thessaloniki from Mexican club FC Puebla, scored his second goal in as many matches against the Austrian capital club after a long run and lethal pass from Spanish winger TONI CALVO.

The critical away tally meant that the hosts would have to win by two clear goals and triumph outright on aggregate — too great a task, as things turned out.

Austria international striker ROLAND LINZ leveled the second leg with his third goal in six UEFA Europa League games this summer but it was not anywhere near enough for disappointed FK Austria Vienna.

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FK AUSTRIA VIENNA : Lindner ; Troyansky (Stankovic 62′), Dragovic, Margreitter, Suttner (Leovac 74′) ; Klein, Baumgartlinger, Hlinka, Liendl (Schumacher 46′) ; Linz, Jun

FC ARIS THESSALONIKI : Sifakis ; Michel, Lazaridis, Ronaldo Guiaro, Neto ; Javito, Toja (Prittas 55′), Nafti, Toni Calvo (Cesnauskis 57′) ; Koke, Ruiz (Cesarec 74′)

FC Aris Thessaloniki 1 – FK Austria Vienna 0

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Austria international striker ROLAND LINZ and his FK Austria Vienna teammates had their share of chances, particularly in the first half, against FC Aris Thessaloniki at the Kleanthis Veikelidis Stadium in Greece. (krone.at photo)
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UEFA Europa League
Playoff round, first leg
8/17/2010

1 – FC Aris Thessaloniki (GRE) —— Ruiz 90+3′
0 – FK Austria Vienna (AUT)

The all-time leading goal-scorer for the national team of Guatemala, CARLOS RUIZ, struck in injury time to propel FC ARIS THESSALONIKI to a victory over FK AUSTRIA VIENNA by the mininum scoreline in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League playoff round.

The second half substitute Ruiz, an off-season arrival from Mexican club FC Puebla, ran onto a ball headed down in the box by the FC Aris Thessaloniki captain, Spanish striker KOKE, and shot through the legs of FK Austria Vienna goalkeeper HEINZ LINDNER.

Ruiz, whose nickname is El Pescadito (The Little Fish), should be familiar to true football fans in the United States having spent seven seasons in Major League Soccer playing for the Los Angeles Galaxy, FC Dallas and FC Toronto while scoring 82 goals in 155 league matches.

FK Austria Vienna was perhaps unlucky to not get something from the game, as symbolized by the header which hit the crossbar before the halftime break.

FC Aris Thessaloniki’s World Cup goalkeeper MICHALIS SIFAKIS, a reserve in South Africa and the only Greek player in the starting XI for the home side, pulled off three critical saves to help set the stage for the late heroics.

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FC ARIS THESSALONIKI : Sifakis ; Michel, Oriol, Ronald Guiaro, Neto ; Javito, Toja (Prittas 78′), Nafti, Cesnauskis (Mendrinos 60′) ; Koke, Cesarec (Ruiz 63′)

FK AUSTRIA VIENNA : Lindner ; Klein, Dragovic, Margreitter, Suttner ; Vorisek, Baumgartlinger, Hlinka, Liendl (Leovac 71′) ; Linz (Schumacher 89′), Jun (Stankovic 80′)