The first trophy won by PAOK

PAOK – Panathinaikos 2-1 (Koudas 1′, 89′ – Papadimitriou 90′)

After four failed attempts to win the Greek Cup, PAOK got their hands on the silverware on 5 July 1972. Giorgos Koudas led them to an emphatic victory over Panathinaikos in “Georgios Karaiskakis” Stadium.

The “Double-Headed Eagle” participated in their third consecutive final, looking for their first ever title in Greece. It was already July when they faced Panathinaikos for the trophy. It was decided that the match be held in “Georgios Karaiskakis”, where PAOK had lost to Olympiacos in the final of the previous season. The Greens had a considerable advantage, as the final was played a few kilometres from their home ground.

The 1970 Greek Cup final between Aris and PAOK in Kaftanzoglio Stadium was the argument used by the Greek Federation in order to schedule the final of 1972 in Athens, obligating PAOK to fight for the trophy once again away from home.

Kick off was scheduled at 9pm because of the heat wave in Greece. There were three available referees in the stadium and a draw designated Christos Michas as the one to officiate the trophy match.

The players of Les Shannon took an early lead (2’). Following a corner, Τerzanidis teed up Giorgos Koudas who scored with a stunning volley from just outside the box.

Despite Christos Michas’s errors, the “Double-Headed Eagle” were in command and wasted a host of chances to double their lead with Αslanidis, Koudas and substitutes Μantzourakis and Lazos.

In the 80th minute, Giannis Mantzourakis netted a stunning overhead scissors’ kick, but the referee disallowed the goal with a hard-to-fathom decision, ruling that the scorer committed a foul although there was nobody near him!

Better late than never though! In the 89th minute, Koulis Apostolidis was awarded a foul and Giorgos Koudas converted the direct free kick, securing PAOK’s first silverware. Panathinaikos could only reduce distances in stoppage time through Papadimitriou.

PAOK: Chatziioannou, Gounaris, Fountoukidis, Papadopoulos, Iosifidis, Terzanidis, Bellis, Sarafis (68’ Lazos), Apostolidis, Koudas, Aslanidis (76’ Matzourakis).

The second Greek Cup

PAOK – Olympiacos 2-2, 4-3 pen. (Paridis 51′, Aslanidis 74′ – Triantafyllos 19′, Kritikopoulos 83′)

June 16 is a special date in PAOK history. Not only did the “Double-Headed Eagle” win the 1985 league on that day, but they had also prevailed in the 1974 Greek final eleven years earlier.

The Greek Cup final was held in Nea Filadelfia on Sunday 16 June 1974 and was the first ever to feature a pre-match ceremony. Les Shannon, due to his English football culture, had acquired special kits for his players to wear in the final –also a first time experience in Greek football. Meanwhile the 1974 World Cup was celebrated in Germany…

It was a scintillating contest and kept fans on the edge of their seats until its dying seconds. Olympiacos took the lead after 20 minutes of play through Yves Triantafyllos. Iosifidis saw his thunderous belter crash against the crossbar. Paridis eventually got the equalizer in the 51st minute, set up by Koudas. In the 66th minute, Gounaris’ handed the ball in PAOK’s area and the referee pointed towards the penalty spot. Giannis Stefas denied Karavitis at that crucial moment. In the 73rd minute, at the opposite side of the pitch, Paridis charged into Olympiacos’ area and was brought down by Viera. Aslanidis took the resulting penalty and fired the “Double-Headed Eagle” into the lead. Kritikopoulos turned in his header to make it 2-2 in the 82nd minute, forcing extra time. Nothing of significance happened in the following 30 minutes and a penalty shoot-out would determine the winner. Olympiacos’ Poupakis and Persidis missed their chances, as did PAOK’s Koudas. Koulis Apostolidis scored a nerveless spot-kick, the last of the procedure, and celebrated wildly PAOK’s second Greek Cup title.

PAOK: Stefas, Gounaris, Tsiligiridis, Iosifidis, Pellios, Terzanidis (113’ Fountoukidis), Paridis, Sarafis, Apostolidis, Koudas, Aslanidis (95’ Anastasiadis).

The 2001 triumph

Olympiacos – PAOK 2-4 (Egomitis 4′, Borbokis 31′, Georgiadis 46′, Nalitzis 85′ – Đorđević 77′, Choutos 89′)

PAOK won their third Greek Cup on 12 May 2001 in Nea Filadelfia, prevailing 4-2 over Olympiacos.

Pantelis Kafes was the longest-serving player of PAOK that season, having been at Toumba Stadium since 1996-97. He was the one to reveal what the final meant for the “Double-Headed Eagle”. “We are ready to make history. It’s been ten years since the team played in a final, 16 years since winning the league, while our last Greek Cup trophy dates back to 1974. All that resumes what winning the trophy would mean to us”, the midfielder of PAOK had said.

His words echoed as a winning motto for PAOK, whose daily activity back then was overshadowed by administrative problems. After the 4-2 triumph over Olympiacos, Giorgos Georgiadis spoke about fans waiting so long for a trophy and said that this success was the team’s atonement: “A huge burden has been lifted off our shoulders. Four-five months ago, we were not expecting that something like this was possible, but we remained united, believed in ourselves and are absolutely satisfied because we made our fans so happy”.

PAOK had a rather smooth ride to the final. After advancing through the group stage, they eliminated Aris, SKODA Xanthi and Apollon Smyrni in two-legged ties.

The “Double-Headed Eagle” were returning to Nea Filadelfia, determined to complete their mission as they had done in 1974 and defeat Olympiacos. Dušan Bajević was equally determined to prevail over his former employers.

Εgomitis scored a very early opener in the final (4’) and PAOK managed to extend their lead in the 31st minute through Vasilis Borbokis. The Thessaloniki side never took their foot off the throttle and made it 3-0 upon right after the interval with Georgiadis. Predrag Đorđević got Olympiacos on the scoreboard with a spot kick, but Νalitzis killed any hope of comeback for the Piraeus outfit in the 85th minute. Olympiacos could only find a second goal in the 89th minute.

PAOK: Čović, V.Borbokis, Venetidis, Amponsah (46’ Koulakiotis), Katsabis, Udeze, Kafes, Konstantinidis, Georgiadis (78’ Nalitzis), Egomitis, Okkas (88’ Spasić).

PAOK prevailed at… home

Aris – PAOK 0-1 (Georgiadis 24′)

On 17 May 2003, PAOK added their fourth Greek Cup trophy in their cabinet. It was the first they won in a Thessaloniki final, furthermore on their own home ground.

The pre-final draw held by the Greek Federation designated Aris as home side (for logistical purposes), but PAOK can never feel as the “away” side in their Toumba home. It was the first final of PAOK held in Thessaloniki, in their own ground, after series of trips to the stadiums of Attica.

The strike by Giorgos Georgiadis in the 25th minute gave PAOK the lead and ended up deciding the encounter. The trophy party would last until the wee hours of the morning in the district of Toumba and around the White Tower.

The players of the “Double-Headed Eagle” and their head coach Angelos Anastasiadis displayed their strength of character on their way to successfully seal that season. Their path to the Greek Cup final was anything but smooth, requiring eliminations of high-profile rivals in tense encounters, therefore making the ultimate triumph all the more significant.

PAOK prevailed over Olympiacos in the quarter-final stage and over AEK Athens in the semis. With two victories over the Piraeus side and an away win over AEK, accompanied by a draw in Toumba Stadium, the “Double-Headed Eagle” completed their Greek Cup journey in 2002-03 season undefeated.

In the Toumba final, PAOK were in control of proceedings throughout the encounter and took the lead with Georgiadis in the 25th minute. They were rarely bothered by Aris who opted for defensive tactics and only tried to claw their way back into the game in the final minutes, but to no avail.

PAOK: Tochouroglou, Koutsopoulos, Koutsis (70’ Chasiotis), Kukiełka, Giasemakis (74’ Spasić), Markos, Kafes, Amponsah (89’ Nastos), Okkas, Georgiadis, Egomitis.