Comfortably through to the group stage
PAOK travelled to Copenhagen with two aims. Their 1-1 in Brøndby Stadion fulfilled them both: sealing their qualification to the UEFA Europa League group stage and proving that nothing messes with the winning mentality that Igor Tudor is trying to convey to his troops.
For at least 60 minutes it wasn’t a bad match, although both teams were aware it was rather a typical procedure regarding qualification. In most parts of the game, PAOK dominated proceedings and stamped their authority on the smooth pitch.
There were not many goalscoring chances created in both boxes. Two set pieces defined the final result. Ricardo Costa netted the opener with a fine header after 21 minutes of play and the Danish side leveled through Rashani six minutes later.
The match pace didn’t alter until the end, with the “Double-Headed Eagle” comfortably negotiating the scoreline and the spaces and earning their passage to the group stage.
Line-ups:
Brøndby IF: Rønnow, Albrechtsen, Larsson, Durmisi, Ørnskov, Rashani, Phiri (82′ Holst), Nørgaard, Hjulsager, Ericsson (72′ Pukki), Schwartz (60′ Elmander)
PΑΟΚ: Glykos, Tzavellas, Vítor, Costa, Konstantinidis (64′ Κ.Savvidis), Tziolis (64′ Mak), Kitsiou, Kace, Mystakidis, Koulouris (76′ Deligiannidis), Rodrigues
