PAOK could have won at Renti
PAOK edged out a 1-1 draw against Olympiacos, in a hard-fought encounter of high pace and many chances to score. The final score does not do justice to the effort of the “Double-Headed Eagle”, who have legitimate complaints regarding the refereeing decisions especially in the last minutes of the encounter.
PAOK travelled to Piraeus to face Olympiacos, their successor at the top of Super League U20, determined to play their game and claim victory. They came close to achieving just that, had the referee not ignored two penalty appeals in the final stretch of the match: in the 84th, Kushta was brought down into the area and, one minute later, a rival cleared the ball with his hand off the line.
The encounter had two faces. In the first half, Olympiacos were in command looking for the goal that would break the deadlock, while PAOK opted to concede space and play a counterattacking game. The home side took the lead with a powerful shot in the 42nd minute.
After the interval, Vladan Ivić introduced Kushta for Patralis giving an attacking edge to his team. PAOK players took the initiative and pushed for the equalizer. Their efforts were rewarded in the 77th minute. Olympiacos failed to clear and Kushta scored with a thumping drive, setting up a thrilling finish for the match, including the two penalty appeals.
The final 1-1 result means that PAOK cannot recuperate third place in the standings, as Panionios prevailed 3-0 at Atromitos on Wednesday. Third place however is up for grabs on Sunday, when PAOK play host to the Nea Smyrni outfit.
PAOK U20: Soilemezoglou, Topalidis, Anastasiou, Vasaitis, Chatzidimpas, Patralis (46′ Kushta), Tsiampazis (75′ Toumanidis), Panagiotidis, Tsolakidis (75′ Kakko), Dimitriadis, Syrakos
