Pregame
Kick Off
Half Time
Goals
Penalty
Substitution
Corners
Offside
Opportunity
Barshot
Comment
Yellow Card
Second Yellow Card
Red card
Missed Penalty
Reaction, winning mentality and a fight to the finish
Sometimes we go a bit over the top, but please forgive us. For yet another game, PAOK found themselves on the ropes, but never stopped believing and were vindicated. Sastre’s late goal in the last minute of normal time saw PAOK turn the match around and win 3-2 against AEK, a result which keeps their title hopes alive.
It was a «final» and both teams knew it. With this mentality they entered the pitch and played out an excellent game, which saw PAOK emerge as the winner.
The two teams lined up on the Toumba pitch to play another derby in this year’s Play Offs and traded blows in an entertaining first half.
The start was an ideal one for the hosts. In the third minute, Baba crossed from the left and Konstantelias made it 1-0 with a shot on the move and put PAOK in the lead.
AEK’s response was immediate, however. In the 10th minute, Pineda cut in from the left and evaded the black and white defense before firing in a hot off the post.
After their leveller, the visitors took the initiative and pressed the pitch better and created some good chances, with Kotarski having the answer to Pineda’s placed effort in the 19th minute and Araújo’s shot from inside the area in the 32nd minute.
From then on, PAOK took the initiative and threatened in the 37th minute with Koulierakis‘ header finding Athanasiadis and then the crossbar. In the 39th minute, Schwab failed to score with a header from A.Zivkovic’s cross, with Athanasiadis clearing the ball for a corner.
Razvan Lucescu made his first move at the start of the second half, bringing on Sastre for Otto .
PAOK dominated the second half, with AEK sitting back to try and defend. In the 67th minute, Konstantelias saw Athanasiadis make an impressive save from a volley he attempted. In their first attacking phase of the second half, AEK then took the lead with Vida’s header, after a save by Kotarski, in the 75th minute.
And when everything seemed lost, the home players found the strength, the will, the faith and achieved a huge comeback win.
Konstantelias was the player who sparked the revival, when in the 81st minute with a powerful shot after an assist with a header by Samatta , he made it 2-2 and gave the team the impetus.
In the 90th minute came the breakthrough goal. Sastre , who just before had asked to be substituted, saw the ball come to him and with a powerful volley he made it 3-2 and gave PAOK three valuable points.
Team lineups:
PAOK: Kotarski, Baba, Koulierakis, Kedziora, Otto (Sastre 46′), Meite, Schwab (Ozdoev 78′), Taison (Vieirinha 90+3′), Konstantelias, A.Zivkovic (Despodov 78′), Brandon (Samatta 70′).
AEK: Athanasiadis, Hajisafi, Vida, Callens, Rota (Zuber 78′), Syzmanski, Jonsson, Pineda, Eliasson (Amrabat 65′), Araujo (Gacinovic 65′), Ponce (Levi 78′)
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