The team can never be written off
The climate was negative due to the last couple of poor results. The start of the match was a nightmare with two goals conceded in the first 10 minutes. But PAOK never gives up. Even when the odds are stacked against the team, these players find a way to respond. Abel Ferreira’s team came from behind to defeat Olympiacos 3-2 in the first leg of their Greek Cup semi-final clash at the Toumba and now has a slender advantage ahead of the return leg next month.
Olympiacos sprang the ultimate surprise in a breathless opening to the game. Goals from Hassan and Guilherme in the third and ninth minutes gave the visitors a two-goal lead which stunned the Toumba, with the first of those goals also coming from a Valbuena cross with the Frenchman in an offside position.
But it was after these setbacks when the character of the team showed itself. The Dikefalos tou Vorra players believed in themselves, showed that there weer not just there to make up the numbers, and by digging in they managed to turn the match around.
Dimitris Pelkas pulled a goal back in the 10th minute with a shot from close-range after Akpom had tried to reach a cross from the left. The Joker’s quick goal stunned the visitors in turn, and just two minutes later Josip Misic brought the scores level at 2-2 with a delicious volley.
The match was being played at an remarkably quick tempo and was turning into a hugely enjoyable derby match between the country’s two top teams. The scoreline remained the same up to half-time and the match was delicately balanced.
In the second half, PAOK showed desire an urgency and managed to turn the match around the take the lead after 69 minutes thanks to a penalty from Pelkas after Ruben Semedo was penalised for a handball.
Ferreira’s charges stayed completely focused up right up until the final whistle, even playing from 85 minutes onward with a numerical disadvantage after Dimitris Giannoulis was red-carded to hang on comfortably for a win which puts PAOK in the ascendancy ahead of the return leg in April.
Team lineups:
PAOK (Abel Ferreira): Paschalakis, Matos, Ingason, Mihaj, Giannolis, Misic, Mauricio, Pelkas (81’ Rodrigo), El Kaddouri (79’ Limnios), Biseawar (89’ Esiti), Akpom.
Olympiacos (Pedro Martins): Tzolakis, Omar (70’ Gaspar), Cisse, Semedo, Tsimikas, Bouchalakis, Guilherme, Camara (86’ El Arabi), Masouras (77’ Randjelovic), Valbuena, Hassan.
