Pregame
Kick Off
Half Time
Goals
Penalty
Substitution
Corners
Offside
Opportunity
Barshot
Comment
Yellow Card
Second Yellow Card
Red card
Missed Penalty
PAOK lay solid foundations for qualification
Focused, determined, and with a composed approach staying loyal to their gameplan, PAOK did not give Shamrock Rovers a look-in, defeating the Irish club 4-0 at the Toumba Stadium to take a significant step in qualifying for the 2024-25 UEFA Europa League League.
With Taison, Baba, Kotarski and Otto returning to the starting lineup, PAOK started the match with a high tempo and a willingness not to give the opposition any room to manoeuvre – and they succeeded from start to finish.
In fact, the visitors only threatened once in the first half from a set-piece play, with PAOK creating a host of opportunities, but having to wait 49 minutes to see the ball end up in the net.
In the first 10 minutes, PAOK missed three great chances with Brandon, Konstantelias and Kedziora all failing to score. In the 20th minute, Andrija Zivkovic’s shot did not find the net either, while in the 36th minute Otto also sent the ball wide from a good position.
In the 41st minute, Baba found the net with a great shot, but the referees discovered a foul by Otto at the start of that phase of play and chalked off the ‘goal’. Finally, however, the opening goal came in the fourth minute of added time when, after a cross by Zivkovic, Cleary sent the ball into his own net.
The second half began in ideal fashion for Razvan Lucescu’s team. Tason made it 2-0 just two minutes in with a powerful shot. The Brazilian then missed a great opportunity to make it 3-0 two minutes later, after a pass from Konstantelias , while in the 52nd minute the visitors were reduced to 10 men when Joshua Honohan found Schwab with his elbow and received a second yellow card followed by his marching orders.
In the 62nd minute Zivkovic had another effort off target, only for Konstantelias to then come in the 67th to provide a flawless side-footed finish inside the penalty area and make it 3-0. In the 76th minute, Schwab had a header off target as a fourth goal looked likely.
And indeed it came in added time. After Chalov had missed a penalty won by Despodov moments earlier, the Russian striker again found himself in front of Shamrock ‘keeper Pohls, and he again denied the PAOK man only for Baba to follow up and score from the rebound to make it 4-0.
PAOK, on an emotionally charged evening which saw the fans bid farewell to Konstantinos Koulierakis in his final home game before his move to Wolfsburg, did their duty and now have a significant lead to defend in Ireland for the second leg net week. Everyone is now focused on the game against Panetolikos at the Toumba Stadium, with the sole target being to make it two wins out of two to continue a poisitive start to the defence of their league title.
Team lineups:
PAOK: Kotarski, Otto (Sastre 79′), Kedziora, Koulierakis, Baba, Schwab (79′), Ozdoev, A. Zivkovic (Despodov 79′), Konstantelias (Murg 79′), Taison, Brandon (Chalov 64′)
Shamrock Rovers: Pohls, Hoare, Cleary, Grace, Honohan, Wats (Burn 74′), O’Neill, Nugent (Makenev 74′), Clarke (Lopes 28′), Farrugia (Burke 84′), Green (74 Madroui 74′).
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