Pregame
Kick Off
Half Time
Goals
Penalty
Substitution
Corners
Offside
Opportunity
Barshot
Comment
Yellow Card
Second Yellow Card
Red card
Missed Penalty
Defiant and top of the pile
Convincing and dangerous, well read and with the right mentality, PAOK left Nea Philadelphia unscathed and top of the table, after a game they could easily have won but in the end had to settled for a draw.
PAOK started the game with Kotarski between the posts, Kedziora and Lovren the central defensive pairing, Otto and Baba as the full-backs, Schwab and Ozdoev in central midfield, Taison and Zivkovic on the flanks of the attacking line and Murg in the classic No.10 position behind Chalov as the main striker.
PAOK started the game excellently, with the right mentality and plan, and could have found themselves in front even earlier than the 16th minute, when they eventually did make the breakthrough. In the 14th minute, Ozdoev hit a shot on the move from Taison’s assist, but the ball came back off the post. Two minutes later, however, from Zivkovic’s corner and with a double effort – after Chalov’s first header – Baba sent the ball into the back of the net to make it 1-0 to the visitors. The Double-headed Eagle continued to threaten, going close in the 18th minute with Ozdoev and then immediately after through Zivkovic.
Razvan Lucescu’s team clearly had the momentum of the match, they were the best team out on the pitch, but in the 25th minute, AEK managed to equalize with a goal out of nowhere from Piero. Despite the equalizer, PAOK did not lose their composure, and they absorbed the Union’s pressure, with Kotarski having the answer to Rota’s effort in the 38th minute.
In the second half, the tempo of the game dropped, PAOK kept the ball longer, although in general there were few big scoring chances. Lucescu was forced to replace Baba , who began to feel some discomfort due to an injury, with Colley coming on in the 62nd minute to change the defensive structure, Kedziora moving to right back and Otto to the left. At the same time, Chalov gave way for Brandon, who made his long-awaited return to action after his injury.
The game had plenty of dynamism, there were some intense duels going on, but it lacked a big chance from either side, apart from an effort from Zivkovic in the 67th minute. Then, Konstantelias and Kamara came on in place of Murg and Ozdoev, respectively, while one minute before the 90th minute, Despodov replaced Taison. Nothing changed, though essentially, PAOK remained in control until the end, even in the three minutes of stoppage time, and they finally left Athens with a well-earned point, now turning their attention to the European game against Viktoria Plzen at the Toumba Stadium for Matchday 3 of the League Phase of the 2024-25 UEFA Europa League.
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