PAOK looked in great shape after the two-week break, playing some excellent football, and did not give the visiting side a look-in, chalking up a flurry of goals.

The game was played in wintry conditions, as the temperature dropped noticeably just before kikc-off, while heavy rain poured down for most of the match. Players from both teams struggled to find their footing in the opening minutes due to the slippery pitch, but Razvan Lucescu’s men found a way to get in front of goal and after two good chances, the first goal arrived.

Taison found Ozdoev with an excellent ball in the heart of the opposing penalty area and the Russian made it 1-0 with a perfect header. The Brazilian was in his usual effervescent spirits and seven minutes later he served up his second assist for Murg to double the home side’s advantage.

Panserraikos tried to react and in the 40th minute the visitors his the crossbar through Deligiannidis, but that was all they could muster and the 2-0 scoreline didn’t change up until the half-time whistle.

In the second half, PAOK were rampant and scored three more goals. In the 52nd minute, Hovan had the answer to Brandon’s double effort, but in the 71st minute, the visitors’ goalkeeper was beaten. Despodov sent over a cross, the Panseraikos defenders were unable to clear the ball and Murg had no difficulty making it 3-0.

The Bulgarian provider this time became a scorer in the 75th minute, and in impressive fashion. The Double-headed Eagle winger executed a corner which went over everybody and ended up in the back of the net.

Rafa Soares wrote the epilogue of the game with his first goal in a PAOK jersey. Tzimas produced a magical piece of play, skipping past defenders and although Hovan blocked his shot, the Portuguese full-back was there to make it 5-0 with a powerful shot from the rebound.

And so PAOK collected the three points, returned to competitive action with momemtun, and now the attention turns to the final group game against Eintracht in Frankfurt where they will look to cement top spot.

Team lineups:

PAOK: Kotarski, Rafa Soares, Michailidis, Ekong, Sastre (Vierinha 77′), Schwab, Ozdoev (Meite 68′), Taison (Konstantelias 68′), Murg (Tzimas 77′), Despodov, Brandon (Samatta 68′).

Panseraikos: Hovan, Bergstrom, Avlonitis (Deligiannidis 22′), Dankerlouis, Peleas, Petaurakis, Moreira, Staikos (Masaripov 63′), Mourgos, Tomas (Thymianis 46′), Aleksic (Bairovic 63′).