PAOK players were in high spirits after the final whistle of the encounter against NK Lokomotiva Zagreb –and rightfully so. Here is what they told reporters in the mixed zone of Toumba Stadium.

Dimitris Pelkas , who combined his return to Toumba with a goal and an overall great performance, said about his future with the club:

«I want to help PAOK as much as I can to achieve their goals and I am close to striking a deal with them. Today we made a solid, convincing performance. PAOK are a team in the making. The coach’s new philosophy needs time to prosper but will lead to even better results. I wasn’t expecting so many fans today, but we needed them. I missed the Toumba atmosphere so much. I believe that we all can achieve much«.

Róbert Mak, among his team’s finest and scorer of two beautiful goals, said:

«We are very happy to be through. We deserved it, as we were a better team and we have been improving day by day. I believe we have the necessary quality to make it to the group stage. We had to win, it wasn’t easy, but scoring three early goals finished off the job. We are building a new team with a new coach and we have to listen to him. We must always play as we did today, not as we played in Zagreb. I believe that with every training we will get better and we will qualify to the next round. We cannot talk about problems. Everybody was talking about the title last season and we finished fifth. Our aim is to play strong in each match. I don’t want to talk much about our aspirations«.

Robin Olsen made his Toumba debut on Thursday and focused on the “Double-Headed Eagle’s” superiority:

«Everything was different today. In the first match we didn’t defend as we should. We were better in defence today and that was very important from my point of view. We were also better in attacking, as the scoreline suggests. Everything was different compared to the first leg. What can I say about Toumba! Our fans created an amazing atmosphere. I am very happy about that«.

As for Efthymis Koulouris, who was in the starting line-up after just one week of preseason training, he said the following:

«I was called to training right after the U19 Euro finals and I tried to get into synch with the rest. Day by day I learn a lot. I am a professional and I have to help –hopefully I will bring more to the team in upcoming encounters. We mustn’t look at the past. We have a new coach and we need to listen to him so that he can implement his philosophy on the team. It’s still early, we continue hard work in trainings. I have been with the team for just one week. It’s too early to say much. I see discipline and a nice mood in the camp. If we keep at it, better things are in store for us. Several of the elements we have been working on in trainings were evident on the pitch today. We must expect attacking football from PAOK and a brighter future. We must let go of the Zagreb match and forget today’s encounter as well. We mustn’t let our thoughts drift. We are happy and we continue our work«.