With great difficulty and a healthy dose of luck, AEK overcame the stubborn obstacle of Larissa in the semi-final thanks to a goal from Lazaros Christodoulopoulos to earn a final date with PAOK in what was a repeat of the 2017 final in Volos. The difference this time wad that the Enosi would be playing in what was essentially their home ground at the OAKA, giving them the adcantage.

All the pre-match talk centered on the final representing the opportunity for PAOK to settle a few scores after AEK claimed the league title, but PAOK boss Razvan Lucescu had a different view. «We have nothing to prove. The whole of Greece knows that we were are the best team on the pitch all season long. Tomorrow we will play for a Greek Cup. We want it for ourselves, for the president, for our families and for our fans,» he told a news conference.

The climate within the team was exceptional with the players united and fully focused on brining the trophy back to Thessaloniki, something which was clear right from the first whistle.

After an uneventful first quarter of an hour, PAOK began to completely dominate the match right up until the final whistle. Biseswar, Campos and Prijovic all missed great opportunities to open the scoring, the best chance coming from the penalty spot with Serbian marksman Prijovic denied by Vasilis Barkas.

In the second half, everything changed. Showing more desire and passion, the Dikefalos tou Vorra players put AEK on the ropes with relentless raids on the opposition goal. Barkas did his best to try and keep AEK in the game single-handedly, but Adelino Vierinha finally broke the deadlock.

With an incredible direct free-kick, he put PAOK in front and paved the way for the cup triumph. The closing stages were characterized with tension and passion in equal measure. Mauricio and Vranjes both saw the red card, while Sergio Araujo squandered AEK’s only clear chance two minutes from full-time. After that Pelkas made it 2-0 in added time, tapping into an empty net following Prijovic’s assist and the celebrations began in earnest shortly afterwards.

Players and the coaching staff erupted in wild celebrations after the final whistle, having demolished their opponents in their own backyard.

The whole PAOK family was united at the OAKA and savored a special victory over AEK. The only one missing was the family’s ‘father’.

Ivan Savvidis could not attend the match as he was banned from stadiums and could only watch the match via TV. The players paid tribute to him by wearing specially-made paper masks with his face. After the match when the team flew back to Thessaloniki, he was there at the airport and was presented with the trophy.

Adelino Vierinia was the first to get off the bus and he handed the trophy to the president, who excitedly thanked the team and received an incredible ovation as he was lifted onto the players’ shoulders.

Thousands of PAOK fans turned up at the airport Macedonia Airport shortly after 02:00 am. Despite the early hour, the decision was made that the team’s bus would set off for the White Tower, even if it proved very difficult to leave the airport since the fans had flooded the entire area.

After a lengthy period of time, the cup finally reached the White Tower where thousands more people celebrated with their hearts and souls all night long. The party continued into the next day, with the Dikefalos tou Vorra squad gathering at a local nightclub for a special ‘black and white’ party, along with the Under-20 squad and their coach Pablo Garcia, who had also the Super League title.

The highlights of the final

The celebrations at the ΟΑΚΑ

The trophy presentation for Ivan Savvidis

At the White Tower…

Final 2018