| PART IV
Wembley "Here We Come"
Petropoulos in conjunction with Bobek that had renewed the squad won the next two championship of 1968-1969 and 1969-1970. He was to pass over the team to Hungarian legend Ferenc Pouskas, after he too fell out with the board. He did not have much success as a coach and after coaching teams Spain but did not have much success.
PAO stated there European run disposing of Zeunesse Esse of Luxemburg by 7-1 on aggregate. Then it was the turn of Slovan Bratislava who the previous season had won the Cup Winners Cup by 4-2 on aggregate. Then things got difficult. PAO had to face English Champions, Everton. No one gave PAO hope. But in Goodison Park the score was still 0-0 when the time was 9:09, with 9 minutes to go, the number 9, Antonis Antoniadis made it 1-0. Everton then put on the pressure and equalized even though the PAO players were protesting for Economopoulos, the goalkeeper, being elbowed in the face by an opponent just before the "Tofees" equalized. PAO in the return leg managed to negotiate a 0-0 draw which took them to the semi-final were they were to meet Red Star Belgrade. PAO were thrashed 4-1 in the "Marakana" of Belgrade and seemed to have no hope in Leoforos.
PAO came out strongly though and scored in the 5th minute to set the tie "alight". Two more goals followed and PAO went through on away goals. Many people who support other teams in Greece do not recognize PAO's run as they said it was funded by the military Junta that was running the country at the time. But what they can't explain is what PAO's capabilities where to bribe Everton who where one of the biggest clubs in Europe and Red Star, when the Yugoslavs struck the upright on two occasions during PAO's 3-0 victory.
On June 2nd 1971, PAO played Ajax in the final. The players had the will but Ajax were too superior in every aspect and won deservedly 2-0. This Ajax was to win the next two Champions Cups consecutively. It would be the beginning of the "Cryuff era" in world football.
The team players in the final were:
Economopoulos, Vlachos, Tomaras, Sourpis, Kapsis, Kamaras, Domazos, Filakouris, Eleftherakis, Antoniadis and Grammos.
Ajax: Stouie, Neeskens, Houlsof, Vasovic, Surbir, Mueren, Reiders (Blakemberg), Swart (Haan), Van Daik, Cryuff, Kaiser.
In the Shadow of Olympiakos
The same season PAO went to the final, they lost the league finishing third. The year after with Pouskas still on the bench PAO wins the title again 1971-1972. After that though, Pouskas was to leave as did many of the players that had made PAO strong. Others where brought in but not of the same caliber. Olympiakos was now to take over the reigns of Greek football for the next few years. PAO though does manage to win the double in 1976-1977 with ex-coach of Poland Kazimir Gorski. The title was actually clinched one round before the end of the season where PAO where playing Olympiakos in the Karaiskaki and needing at least a draw.
Olympiakos were leading 2-1 until 8 minutes from time when Domazos scored a sensational overhead scissor kick to give the league to the "3-leaf Clovers" in Piraeus. PAO would now have to wait until 1983-1984 to win it's next league. Olympiakos had managed to win most leagues based on the foreign players it had brought in, namely Milton Viera (Uruguay), Yve Triantafilos (France), Julio Losada (Uruguay) and the Greek "George Best" Giorgos Delikaris. Another important factor was that the club was now owned was ship-owner Nikos Goulandris who would be willing to spend any amount of money he had to in order to make Olympiakos better.
He would sign the best Greek players and PAO would have to settle with those that the "reds" did not want. The worst thing was that the person that lead Olympiakos to its 70's glory was a PAO man. Lakis Petropoulos who had served PAO for almost 20 years as a player and coach. Things got worse in 1979 when PAO wanting to renew the squad released it's two legends Domazos who went to AEK and Antoniadis who went to Olympiakos. Many fans blamed the players for betraying them and the club, but even more blamed the PAO board. Domazos stayed the season with AEK helping them to the title whilst Antoniadis stayed at the "Reds" for only 6 months and tried to desperately return to PAO, the only team he wanted to really play for. He returned in January the following year  |