Opening matches are always stressful –more so when held on unplayable pitch against a team relying on passion and physicality. Then things can become really tough. PAOK fought at Baku against Qäbälä FC and imposed their game, but didn’t manage to score and get a victory out of their Azerbaijan outing.

PAOK fans voted Robin Olsen as the most valuable player of the encounter, as his saves proved important in safeguarding the draw point for our team. The Swedish goalkeeper was there when the team needed him. The highlight of his display was a double save: he first handled the back-pass of Ricardo Costa and then used his fists to clear the danger.

In the poll organised by paokfc.gr, Olsen won the Fans’ Man of the Match award with 58,49% of the vote, leaving impeccable Ricardo Costa behind him. The latter, along with Miguel Vítor and Giorgos Tzavellas, were brilliant in containing the rival strikers.

After a slow start and a difficult adjustment to his new team, Olsen is constantly improving game by game, providing security in PAOK’s rearguard.