PAOK finished off the match early
True to their nature, PAOK cruised swiftly to a convincing 3-1 win at Platanias, for the penultimate matchday of the Greek League regular season.
The “Double-Headed Eagle” displayed decisiveness and substance, applying their usual tactics: they fired on all cylinders right from the start and prevailed comfortably in yet another encounter.
They got their reward in double-quick time, with all of four minutes played, following a fine combination of Stefanos Athanasiadis, Stelios Kitsiou and Amr Warda, the latter finishing with a low shot from inside the box.
Four minutes later, PAOK made it 2-0. Djalma Campos took advantage of a defender’s weak pass towards his goalkeeper, intercepted the ball and scored with the goal at his mercy.
After these two early goals, it was only normal that the match pace would drop. But PAOK remained in command of proceedings.
After the interval, Platanias grew more threatening, attempting to cut down PAOK’s lead. But the “Double-Headed Eagle” held firm and managed to score a third in the 63rd minute. Warda turned provider this time, passing the ball to Kitsiou who teed up Yevhen Shakhov for a 3-0 lead.
Ten minutes later, PAOK went close with a shot by Ergys Kaçe, blocked by Kokkalas. In the 75th minute, Apostolopoulos cleared Fernando Varela’s header off the line.
Platanias got a consolation goal in the 78th minute with Mendrinos. Aleksandar Prijović’s return to action after his clavicle injury, was accompanied by a gilt-edged opportunity to score. His close-range shot was pushed away impressively by Kokkalas in the 88th minute.
PAOK recorded their fifth consecutive league victory, a statement that they are strong and decided to fight on all fronts.
Line-ups:
Platanias: Kokkalas, Κarypidis, Banana, Κargas, Stathis (72’ Αpostolopoulos), Munafo, Marangos (21’ Mendrinos), Llorente (81’ Papanikolaou), Devesa, Giakoumakis, Signevich.
PΑΟΚ: Glykos, Μatos, Crespo, Varela, Kitsiou, Cimirot, Shakhov (70’ Kaçe), Biseswar (57’ Malezas), Warda, Campos, Athanasiadis (65’ Prijović).
{{timelineDisplay(comment)}}
:
{{comment.extra_data.media.caption}}
{{timelineDisplay(comment)}}
: