Useful workout as PAOK draw with Alkmaar
PAOK drew 2-2 against AZ Alkmaar in their third pre-season friendly match in Apeldoorn, Holland, in a game which saw a much-changed Double-headed Eagle lineups in both halves due to several absentees.
PAOK lined up without a main striker as Nelson Oliveira was ruled out after taking a knock in training while Colak was in the UK to complete his move to Rangers. In addition, Omar El Kaddouri and Andre Ricardo were also out as their continued their recovery from injuries.
And so, Razvan Lucescu’s options were limited. The Romanian coach selected Andrija Zivkovic, Giannis Konstantelias, and Mario Tsaousis for the attacking trio, and his choices were vindicated.
PAOK took advantage of their first two chances, got themselves in front, and managed the game well in the first half. The Dutch, for their part, pressed high up the pitch and tried to pinch possession, also playing with a good tempo.
In the fifth minute, Serbian forward Zivkovic produced a brilliant individual moment of attacking play to make it 1-0, while in the 13th minute, defender Giannis Kargas doubled PAOK’s advantage with a header from a corner delivered by Konstantelias.
Then it was time for AZ to fight back. In the 27th minute, Alkmaar’s Greek forward Pavlidis scored with a powerful shot from inside the penalty area to make it 2-1 – and that was the way things remained as the players disappeared into the dressing rooms at half-time.
In the second half, Lucescu threw Vieirinha into the fray for the first time in pre-season, while in the 60th minute he also brought on Jasmin Kurtic. The tempo of the match was also good in the second half, with PAOK moving the ball around nicely despite the many changes of personnel, and they manahged to create chances.
However, it was Alkmaar who found a goal, which came from Griffith in the 72nd minute to make the final score 2-2.
The match allowed the PAOK technical staff to draw some useful conclusions, while a lot of players got some playing time under the belts as the preparation continues in the Netherlands.
The last friendly is scheduled for Saturday (07.09) at 17:00 against Standard Liège, a game that will be played strictly behind closed doors.
PAOK lineups:
1st half – Kotarski, Lyratzis, Kargas, Mihaj, Rafa Soares, Tsingaras, Schwab, Filipe Soares, Konstantelias, A.Zivkovic, Tsaousis.
2nd half – Z.Zivkovic, Sastre, Kargas (60′ Koulierakis), Ingason, Vieirinha, Filipe Soares (60′ Kurtic), Douglas, Dantas, Quagliata, Lambrou, Tzimas.
