U20s victorious in Tripolis
The first 35 minutes of the encounter were uneventful. Many turnovers in midfield, long-range shots far from target and a string of bad decisions from both sides.
The match suddenly sprang to life in the last ten minutes of the first half, a spell that proved decisive. In the 35th minute, Chatzistravos created havoc in Asteras’s defence and teed up Markovski, who had the easy task of dispatching the ball home from close up. Seven minutes later, it was Tsaousis’s turn to beat the rival goalkeeper, with a net-buster from 30 metres.
After the interval, the home side applied some early pressure in search of a goal that would get them back into the contest. In the 49th minute, they even forced an excellent save from Siampanis.
PAOK went on to seal their victory in the 64th minute. Chatzistravos pressed high up the pitch, intercepted the ball and fed Gargalatzidis for a 3-0 lead. Asteras could only reduce distances in the 70th minute from a set piece.
PAOK’s victory, along with the goalless draw between Olympiakos and Panathinaikos in Rentis, allowed the “Double-Headed Eagle” to climb the standings and cut down their distance from top-placed Panathinaikos to two points.
PAOK U20: Siampanis, Lyratzis, Tsaousis, Diamantis, Michailidis, Tsiggaras, Balogiannis, Chatzistravos, Markovski, Gargalatzidis, Τzovaras
