PAOK players knew beforehand that the Nea Smyrni encounter would be far from easy. The elimination by SL Benfica in the UEFA Champions League, the transition to Greek reality and feisty Panionios all made for a tough task.

Răzvan Lucescu’s troops however have been proving their mettle time and time again for more than a year now –they did the same in Nea Smyrni.

The home side started strongly in the first half and tried to take PAOK by surprise, but José Ángel Crespo and Alexandros Paschalakis reacted impeccably when Spiridonović and Durmishaj went for the opener.

After the 20-minute mark, the “Double-Headed Eagle” took command of the encounter, while Panionios retreated and looked for spaces to explore their counterattacking options.

Yevhen Shakhov, Omar El Kaddouri, Adelino Vieirinha and Dimitris Pelkas couldn’t beat Manojlović. At the other end of the pitch, Paschalakis denied Panionios’s players on two occasions before the two teams headed for the dressing rooms.

After the interval, PAOK continued to dominate proceedings, enjoying possession and looking for a way to break through Panionios’s double defensive line. Midway through the second half came the play that decided the encounter.

Shakhov cut through the “blue-and-red” defence with an excellent effort, passed the ball to El Kaddouri who turned towards the goal and shot past the home goalkeeper for the 1-0 lead.

Boosted by their opener, PAOK pushed for a second that would seal victory. It was indeed scored in the 88th minute, when José Alberto Cañas unleashed a thunderous strike, Manojlović saved at first instance, but Chuba Akpom collected the rebound and scored. However, the goal was disallowed by referee Papapetrou and his assistant on the offside rule –an unbelievable verdict, since the English forward was three metres behind Panionios’s last defender.

That refereeing error didn’t decide the encounter. Masouras wasted a good opportunity for an equalizer in the 90th minute and then PAOK managed to keep the hosts at bay until the final whistle.

The “Double-Headed Eagle” wrapped up a series of eight highly-demanding encounters in Greece and Europe, with 5 victories, 2 draws and 1 defeat. Now they have a fortnight ahead to make the best of the international break and work hard, in order to improve ahead of their tough autumn fixtures.

Line-ups:

Panionios: Manojlović, Kurdi, Banana, Papageorgiou, Camara (65’ Manthatis), Korbos, Keita, Domingues, Spiridonović (85′ Ali), Masouras, Durmishaj

PAOK: Paschalakis, Matos, Khacheridi, Crespo, Vieirinha , Shakhov, Maurício, El Kaddouri (79’ Limnios), Pelkas (67’ Akpom), Warda, Prijović (85’ Cañas)