The home side started better, pressed high and in the seventh minute they hit the post with Sut the unlucky player. PAOK then tried to push forward and they partially succeeded by having two good moments via Samatta .

But FCSB found what they were looking for in the 30th minute. Tanase, Micolescu and Tissoti combined well and the latter beat Kotarski to make it 1-0 on the night and 3-1 on aggregate.

PAOK then responded with two great moments that should have saw them equalize up until the end of the first half, but unfortuantely they did not succeed. Initially, Kedziora went close with a header, before Tarnovano made a great save from a Michailides’ shot.

The visitors tried to come out strong at the start of the second half, but FCSB had two good moments with Kotarski stopping a shot by Micolescu and Popescu threatening with headers that missed the target.

PAOK then tried to keep the ball, and create gaps in behind the home team’s defensive line, but they never quite managed it, and the tie was over when FCSB scored a second goal in the 81st minute with Micolescu the man on target, making the aggregate score 4-1 in favour of the Romanians.

And so PAOK failed to achieve their goal in Romania, and exited European competition. The challenge now is for the team to regroup immediately and produce a reaction in order to fight until the end in the Stoiximan Super League championship, starting with Sunday’s derby against Olympiacos in Piraeus.

The club extends a huge thank you for the overwhelming support received by the team fom our fans on yet another European journey. We wish everyone a safe return to Greece.

Team lineups:

FCSB: Tarnovanu, Crețu, Radunović, Ngezana, M. Popescu, Chiriches (71′ Alhasan), Sut, Cizotti, Tanase (78′ Enjuma), Miculescu (86′ Baluța), Birlițea (46′ Gheorgheța)

PAOK: Kotarski, Baba, Otto, Kedziora, Michailides, Ozdoev (79′ Schwab), Meite (55′ Kamara), Pelkas (63′ Despondov), Konstantelias, A. Zivković (79′ Brandon), Samatta (55′ Chalov).