The first minutes were accompanied by tentative efforts of the two sides. PAOK first came close in the 13th minute, when Gojko Cimirot was teed up by José Alberto Cañas fine through ball, but his shot was comfortably saved by Anestis.

Fifteen minutes later, Marin Leovac’s well-taken free kick forced an instinctive save by AEK Athens’s goalkeeper. Just before the interval, Djalma Campos charged down the right flank and set up Cimirot, but the latter’s header went just wide above the crossbar.

PAOK started strongly after the interval. In the 47th minute, Garry Rodrigues collected Campos’s low cross but failed to beat Anestis from point blank, as the goalkeeper of AEK Athens kept the ball out with a double save. Diego Biseswar tested his shooting from a distance in the 65th minute, a few minutes after entering the pitch, but his shot flew just wide.

Although PAOK were dictating play and enjoying possession, AEK Athens had the best chance to break the deadlock in the 74th minute, with Christodoulopoulos hitting the woodwork. The “Double-Headed Eagle” replied with a thunderous shot by Rodrigues, saved by Anestis. In the 90th minute, Léo Matos went close with a header. Five minutes later, he came to PAOK’s rescue with another close-range header, much to the delight and relief of the fans in the stands.

Line-ups:

PΑΟΚ: Glykos, Malezas, Crespo, Matos, Leovac, Cimirot, Cañas, Shakhov (63΄Biseswar), Campos (75’ Mystakidis), Rodrigues, Athanasiadis (87’ Pereyra).

ΑΕK Athens: Anestis, Vilá, Kolovetsios, Lambropoulos, Galo, Johansson, Simões (84’ Galanopoulos), Rodríguez (69’ Christodoulopoulos), Bakasetas, Mantalos, Almeida.