PAOK were guest of honour in a beautiful feast organized by the Romanian club for their 100th anniversary. The hosts prepared a modest yet impressive event for their club’s jubilee and PAOK pleased the crowd with attractive football.

The two sides were levels apart, therefore no safe conclusions can be drawn about the team’s performance. However PAOK were good, demure and effective in attack.

Abel Ferreira chose to start a starting line-up along the lines of last season’s team.

The troops of the Portuguese coach were in high spirits, didn’t allow their rivals to attack and created many opportunities to score.

PAOK took the lead in the 5th minute with Dimitris Limnios’s astonishing back-heel, following a magical assist by Diego Biseswar. Dimitris Pelkas extended his side’s lead 22 minutes later, set up by Chuba Akpom, while Douglas Augusto fired an unstoppable drive to make it 3-0 and seal the first half.

Ferreira sent out the same line-up after the interval, wanting to give more playing time to his regulars and test their readiness, while also trying out some tactical formations.

Both PAOK goals in the second half were scored by substitutes. Omar El Kaddouri pressured high up the pitch, stole the ball and poked it home in the 77th minute. Antonis Gaitanidis made it 5-0 with a flawless lob, after a fine pass by Lazaros Lamprou.

PAOK completed the first stage of their preseason and are now back in Thessaloniki. They have been given the weekend off and they will return to work on Monday. They will travel back to the Netherlands on Thursday (18 July).

PAOK line-up:

Melissas (46′ Živković), Μatos (70′ Deligiannidis, 80′ Μihaj), Varela (70′ Ingason), Crespo (70′ Chatziisaias), Giannoulis (70′ Rodrigo), Mišić (60′ Kaçe), Douglas (60′ Εl Kaddouri), Pelkas (70′ Lamprou, 84′ Τsiggaras), Limnios (60′ Henrique), Biseswar (60′ Gaitanidis), Akpom (60′ Stoch)