PAOK settled on the ball early on as both teams deployed a recon game. Their first visit to the Qarabağ FK box was recorded in the 10th minute, with Stefanos Athanasiadis’s volley going just wide, following a cross by Giannis Mystakidis. The latter went close in the 22nd minute with a powerful shot that was saved in extremis by Šehić.

The “Double-Headed Eagle” were in command for the initial 30 minutes, but struggled to find spaces towards the visitors’ area. Therefore they opted for some long-range shots, such as Gojko Cimirot’s in the 34th minute. Despite PAOK’s slight dominance, the first half concluded uneventful.

In the second half, Qarabağ FK dictated pace. The match was mostly played outside the Azeris’ box as PAOK was trying to find a way through and trouble Šehić. But in the 69th minute, substitute Míchel was handed time and space and gave the visitors the lead with a long-range shot.

Despite falling behind, the “black-and-whites” kept possession of the ball, but to no avail. In the 85th minute, Facundo Pereyra missed a unique chance to level the match from the six-yard box, when he collected Marin Leovac’s cross from the left, but his shot went just wide. At the other end of the pitch, Panagiotis Glykos produced a huge save to prevent a second goal for the Azeri outfit, when his teammates were all camped in Qarabağ FK’s half.

PAOK’s second defeat in the group has turned their qualification effort into an uphill battle.

Line-ups:

PΑΟΚ: Glykos, Μatos, Τzavellas, Varela, Leovac, Cimirot (81’ Shakhov), Cañas, Biseswar (73’ Τhiam), Rodrigues, Μystakidis (61’ Pereyra), Αthanasiadis.

Qarabağ FK: Šehić, Agolli, Sadygov, Guseynov, Medvedev, Αlmeida, Garayev, Amirguliyev (64’ Μíchel), Μuarem (87’ Ismayilov), Ndlovu (76’ Reynaldo).