AEK Athens FC had to content themselves with a UEFA Cup place after being held to a 2-2 draw at RSC Anderlecht, who finished bottom of UEFA Champions League Group H.
With their rivals for second spot, LOSC Lille Métropole, winning at AC Milan, Lorenzo Serra Ferrer's men needed to record a first away victory in the competition to claim a coveted ticket to the last 16, but their dreams unravelled as Anthony Vanden Borre and Nicolas Frutos scored either side of half-time. Although Vassilios Lakis and Bruno Cirillo eventually drew the visitors level, their spirited rally was not enough.
Serra Ferrer had said that his only fear was a lack of self-confidence from players so close to meeting their objective, so he would have been delighted to see them carve out the game's first chance. Dániel Tőzsér released in-form forward Júlio César on the edge of the area but Olivier Deschacht put in a crucial challenge before the Brazilian could pull the trigger. The Greek outfit soon threatened again, through Martin Pautasso who fired too high from the right.
AEK appeared livelier than their hosts, although Anderlecht finally created an opportunity on 22 minutes, Mohamed Tchite sending a volley narrowly over. Cirillo, in particular, was doing a sterling job of keeping the Belgian champions at bay, while at the other end Júlio César provided a constant threat, the No99 forcing Daniel Zítka to make the first save with an ambitious effort from a tight angle.
Vanden Borre strike
Despite a Lucas Biglia drive that sailed wide of the left-hand post, it was against the run of play that Frank Vercauteren's men broke the deadlock in the 38th minute. It was a comedy of errors too, with Frutos causing panic in the AEK ranks as he surged into the box. At least three defenders in yellow could have cut out the danger, but after a series of deflected efforts to clear, Vanden Borre bundled the ball over the line.
Les Mauves almost doubled their lead straight after the break, only for an acrobatic Stefano Sorrentino dive to keep out Biglia's curling free-kick. Tőzsér responded by blasting Gustavo Manduca's chipped cross behind the goal, and AEK's Hungarian international went even closer to equalising with a vicious half-volley that Zítka was just about equal to. Serra Ferrer introduced Lakis, Andrija Delibašić and Perparim Hetemaj to try and make the difference – withdrawing Júlio César in the process – but the match slipped even further from his grasp just after the hour.
Sorrentino did brilliantly to deny Tchite as the Anderlecht forward swivelled and struck from point-blank range on the left, yet the ball fell kindly for Frutos, who capped a busy display by rifling in. The Argentinian attacker nearly contributed a second when he was centimetres from reaching substitute Mbark Boussoufa's cross, and that let-off started to look costly when Lakis reduced the deficit with a superbly-placed header beyond Zítka. Cirillo's 81st-minute volley low into the corner then made a miraculous comeback appear possible, but AEK had left their charge too late.