PAOK undone by poor second half
For 45 minutes PAOK got exactly what the team needed from the game. In the second half, however, concentration was lost, PAOK paid for their mistakes, and suffered a 3-1 away defeat by Olympiacos for Matchday 3 of the 2022-23 Stoiximan Super League Play Offs.
PAOK lined up in Faliro with changes, with Filipe Soares, Taison and Brandon Thomas included in the starting XI, with the team looking to impose their game on the hosts.
And for about an hour they succeeded. Olympiacos started the match strongly, pressed high and drew mistakes from the Double-headed Eagle players that brought opportunities in front of Dominik Kotarski’s goal, but he had the answers to the efforts of Bakabou and Fortounis.
In the 22nd minute, PAOK managed to open the scoring with their first important opportunity. A. Zivkovic released Sastre , he sent over a preise cross and Brandon Thomas directed the ball past Paschalakis to make it 1-0 to the visitors.
In the 29th minute, PAOK almost took a two-goal lead with A. Zivkovics firing in an excellent shot from outside the penalty area, but Paschalakis was there to deny his old teammate.
Before half-time, Olympiacos had a couple of goof moments with a header by Bakabou and a shot by Reabchuk, but Kotarski stopped both efforts, with PAOK having balanced out the play and they headed for the dressing room at the break with the lead.
Razvan Lucescu’s team started the second half well and missed a great opportunity to make it 2-0 in the 51st minute, with Paschalakis blocking an effort by Douglas.
Then came the turning point. In the 59th minute, Olympiacos counter-attacked and Bakabou beat Kotarski with a shot from outside the penalty area to draw the hosts level at 1-1.
The Double-headed Eagle coach made three changes, bringing on Oliveira, El Kaddouri and Narey in order to freshen up his attack, but PAOK paid for their mistakes at the back and in the 78th minute when Masouras put the home team ahead with a header.
The PAOK players then lost their way a bit, failing to react. What’s more, in the 88th minute they conceded a third goal, with Bakabou scoring from the penalty spot after a handball from A. Zivkovic was penalised.
Team lineups:
Olympiacos: Paschalakis, Reabchuk, Ba, Papastathopoulos (57′ Cisse), Rodiney, M’Vila, Huang, Fortounis (77′ Vrousai, Valbuena (60′ James), Biel (77′ Masouras), Bakabou (77′ El Arabi).
PAOK: Kotarski, Rafa Soares, Koulierakis, Ingason, Sastre, Filipe Soares (82′ Schwab), Douglas, Konstantelias (68′ Narey), Taison (68′ El Kaddouri), A. Zivkovic (88′ Ricardo), Brandon (69 ‘ Oliveira).
