Alexandros Tziolis made a point about PAOK’s dominance throughout the game. Here is what he said:

On PAOK’s victory:

«We were playing against a big club, it was our first high profile game of the season, at home, with our fans on our side. We had to win for sporting and psychological reasons«.

On PAOK’s reaction:

«I believe that the deadlock of the first half and the fact that we conceded right after the interval conditioned the encounter. We dominated the first half completely, but fluffed our lines in finishing. When conceding against the run of play, it is a moral blow and one tends to be hard on themselves. To turn things around, one needs to dig deep and we did just that«.

On the final minutes of the game:

«It made sense for AEK Athens to go for it in the end and risk. We conceded space and almost paid for it. It could have happened, but it would be a pity considering our game and effort. We missed 4-5 chances to score in the first half and it would be unfair to focus on AEK’s solitary opportunity. I believe it was a full game and hopefully we will enjoy more of those in Greece«.

On whether he considers Kace as the best partner he has ever had in midfield:

«It’s not my place to judge that. He is a very good, talented player. Everyone has their own role and worth and it’s up to others to access whom they bond with best«.

On PAOK’s attacking alternatives:

«Judging from tonight’s match, we had the chances, the attacking alternatives and plays in the box. We had everything, but we made it tough by not keeping it simple. When given the opportunity to score, everyone can get affected, wanting to score the winner and be the star. We should be better upfront and finish off the game. We spent too much energy and made it harder than it really was. Our performance deserved a more comfortable victory. AEK scored and had that opportunity to score in the last minutes. We didn’t deserve that«.

On the pressure for the three-pointer and the tough schedule ahead:

«Upcoming fixtures will be very tough. We started early in the season, we didn’t get a good rest and in the future we might encounter fatigue issues. We have several games under our belt and stumbled along the way at some point, that’s natural. A new coach is in town, 10-12 new players, we are trying to find our footing and our coach is learning the ropes in the Greek league. We are in a renovation procedure and it is good to record victories both for our morale and our fans«.

On the improvements that PAOK need to do in order to go for the league title:

«It’s important to become a team and to encounter our own trademark game. Through good football and team efforts, we will be able to win titles. I understand our fans being thirsty for titles, it’s normal. But haste won’t help. We need to build a solid team«.

Whether they got stressed in the final stage of the match, when under AEK’s pressure:

«When missing so many chances, especially in the first half, and then conceding a goal, it is a psychological blow. We needed to react. I believed in our team because we were all playing well. It was up to us to turn the tie around«.

On his own form:

«I feel fine and hopefully I will continue like this«.

Garry Rodrigues, who scored the equaliser and was a constant threat for AEK, said the following:

«It was a great atmosphere and I hope that we will get to live such evenings in the future. I believe we were the better team on the pitch. That’s football. We had chances that we couldn’t convert, but we stayed strong and got what we wanted of the game. PAOK were the better team and it was important to clinch all three points in such an important match. It is a privilege to play alongside such a great player as Berbatov. We communicate on the pitch«.