The passion and the desire was there. The determination, the energy. PAOK didn’t lack anything, apart from seeing some of the finer details go their way. But, as if in a repeat of everything they have experienced so far this season, everything came back to back.

PAOK started the match with a clear plan, which of course went wrong at the start, when Rodinei executed a free-kick from a long distance that went past everyone and ended up in the net.

The minds of Razvan Lucescu’s players were not broken, however. They kept the ball, played sensibly and in the 24th minute the equalizer came. The visiting players combined wonderfully, culminating in Andrija Zivkovic sending a wonderful cross into the box to pick out Mady Kamara who scored with a flawless glacing  header to make it it 1-1.

The moment that was to decide the game to a large extent came in the 31st minute. Taison went through on goal one-on-one with Tzolakis, failed to beat him and a few moments later Olympiacos took the lead again, with Martins finding Kostoulas inside the penalty area and the latter beating Kotarski to make it 2-1.

PAOK tried to respond immediately and missed another good opportunity with Kamara shooting from the edge of the penalty area and Tzolakis blocking, with the 2-1 score not changing until the half-time break.

In the second half, Lucescu brought Baba into the game for Sastre and sent Otto to the right, in order to be more threatening and they had two good moments with Schwab in the 54th minute and 62nd minute, without finding an equalizer.

Olympiacos then had two good moments with Palma in the 65th minute, while PAOK missed two other great opportunities with Konstantelias failing to convert a cross from Otto, and Tzolakis blocking a good shot from Taison, while at the other end Kotarski blocked Horta’s header.

In the 81st minute, Lucescu played his last hand, making a triple substitution with Pelkas , Chalov and Despodov coming on, but misfortune again stood in the way for PAOK. A minute later, Otto got injured and PAOK were left with 10 men.

Olympiacos, with the numerical advantage, tried to close out the game but another goal did not come and the final whistle came, with the 2-1 score unchanged.

Team lineups:

Olympiacos: Tzolakis, Ortega, Carmo (46′ Pirola), Biancone, Rodinei, Mouzakitis (60′ Esse), Garcia, Martins, Kostoulas (75′ Horta), Velde (60′ Palma), El Kaabi.

PAOK: Kotarski, Sastre (46′ Baba), Kedziora, Wieteska, Otto, Schwab (70′ Meite), Kamara, A. Zivkovic (81′ Despodov), ​​Konstantelias (81′ Pelkas), Taison, Samatta (81′ Chalov).