Beaten but unbowed [with pictures]
PAOK B took the lead – with a wonderful goal by Gitersos – and could have left Larissa with a point, but they were ultimately defeated 2-1 by league leaders AEL. The Double-headed Eagle now head into the last match of the regular season in Keramidi with the sole goal of winning and getting the three points that will be valuable in the battle for the play-outs. PAOK B were were competitive, took the lead in the 37th minute, betrayed themselves twice by mistakes that gave the lead to AEL, and in the 92nd minute they also missed a great opportunity to equalize, but Souloukos saved Goumas’s penalty.
The game was played at a good tempo in the first 45 minutes with PAOK B having a good footing, perhaps only for a quarter of an hour though, as the home team then took control. In the 15th minute, Filon cleared a shot off the line, and Balomenos made two good saves, in the 24th and 34th minutes. That was until the 37th minute, when PAOK B went on the counter-attack, Gitersos did not hesitate and from 40 meters he scored a stunning goal that gave the visitors the lead. However, a lapse in defense in the 41st minute gave Mourgos the opportunity to score with a header.
The second half began with a serious mistake by PAOK B’s defense just one minute in. Mourgos took advantage of it and put the home team ahead. PAOK fought back, looking for an equalizer, twice with Goumas (63′ and 82′), once with Spyrakos (86′) and in fact in the 91st minute they won a penalty after Hatsidis was fouled. Goumas stepped up to take the kick, but Souloukos guessed correctly and PAOK B missed the opportunity to leave Larissa with a valuable point, a point that would have been well-deserved.
Team lineups:
AEL: Souloukos, Kossonou (72′ Panagiotidis), Vafeas, Iliadis (67′ lt.t Stamou), Th. Papageorgiou, Barrientos, Andrada, Economou (67′ Stina), Moutinho (72′ Moraitis), Mourgos (78′ Kritikos), Pashas.
PAOK B: Balomenos, Deligiannis (78′ Spyrakos), Bataoulas, Lagonidis, Filon, Kalogiros (62′ Polykratis), Scznauczner, Smyrlis (51′ Goumas), Tsopouroglou, Hurtado (62′ Hatsidis), Gitersos (78′ Adam).
