It’s all about mentality
A fatigued PAOK side went to the OAKA with several key players absent through injury, and everyone believed that the team would not have much to give after a taxing week including the difficult European game in Belgium. Finally, however, PAOK went to the OAKA in Athens and once again defeated AEK. Razvan Lucescu’s team have completed another win in an incredible series of matches since the beginning of January.
From the day he returned to the club, Razvan Lucescu has been talking about mentality. He wanted to build a team that could win in any given situation, regardless of the opposition. And at the end of this match, he was a proud coach. Proud of what his players have accomplished in yet another tough game.
PAOK left Athens once again with three points, continuing its positive winning streak against AEK. A goal by Antonio Colak in the second half was enough for the Double-headed Eagle to claim another three-point haul and reduce the deficit from the top after Olympiacos were held to a draw by PAS in Ioannina.
It is a given that the first half of this derby clash will be quickly forgotten. Both teams had a hard time creating chances in front of goal, and the 0-0 scoreline at the break was a fair reflection of that.
AEK had two efforts on goal from Krychowiak and another by Amrabat which was saved by Paschalakis, while PAOK on the other hand, went close on two occasions thanks to Jaba. In the 36th minute, the Brazilian crossed the ball across the penalty area but neither Colak nor Mitrita did not manage to direct the ball goalwards, while a 43rd-minute long-range effort from Jaba was saved comfortably by Stankovic.
The start in the second half was ideal for PAOK. In the 50th minute, Mitrita gained possession just outside of his own penalty area, ran almost the length of the pitch before threading an excellent pass through for Colak, who produced a clinical finish to score and make it 1-0.
With 40 minutes left until the last whistle, everyone was expecting a strong reaction from the hosts, but it was PAOK who came closer to scoring again. In the 60th minute, Varela headed on at the near post following a corner by A. Zivkovic and Colak’s second header was saved by AEK ‘keeper Stankovic.
Four minutes later, Stankovic again denied PAOK, this time it was a shot by Tsingaras following an excellent team effort by the visitors.
The hosts managed to effectively threaten PAOK only in the 87th minute with an attempt by Szymański following a cross from Garcia which sailed wide.
The Double-headed Eagle then saw out the remainder of the game perfectly, with the visiting players winning all the duels they needed to and holding on to their lead up to the final whistle.
The OAKA derby completed a long series of games that started just over two months ago. The welcome break for the international matches now offers PAOK a little time to rest and reorganize in view of the final stretch in their bid for honours in Greece and Europe.
Team lineups:
AEK (Ofridopoulos): Stankovic, Michelin (85′ Rota), Mitoglou, Tzavellas, Mohammadi, Krychowiak, Hajsafi (71′ Szymanski), Amrabat, Zuber, (85′ Ansarifard), Mand0los (56′ Garcia), Araujo.
PAOK (Lucescu): Paschalakis, Lyratzis, Ingason, Varela, Sidcley, Tsingaras, Kurtic, Jaba (76′ Taylor), A. Zivkovic, Mitrita (67′ Biseswar), Colak (85′ Akpom).
