\u201cArtemio Franchi\u201d is one of Italy\u2019s most traditional home grounds and a challenge for any visiting team. To get a positive result there, a rival must align quality, cold blood, passion, luck and conviction\u2026 PAOK remained undefeated in yet another away encounter and may even rue their luck for not holding on to a famous victory. The final 1-1 keeps the \u201cDouble-Headed Eagle\u201d on course for qualification to the last 32 of the UEFA Europa League, provided they prevail over Dinamo Minsk and EA Guingamp.<\/p>\n
The encounter got off to a complicated start for Angelos Anastasiadis\u2019<\/strong> troops, who were forced to lie deep and be submitted to immense pressure from their hosts. However, PAOK were the ones to come close to an opener in a rare foray forward after 14 minutes of play, when Stefanos Athanasiadis<\/strong> sent Facundo Pereyra<\/strong> clear with a lovely through ball, which the striker sent just wide. But it was all ACF Fiorentina until the 35th minute. Vincenzo Montella\u2019s<\/strong> men wasted many gilt-edged opportunities to break the deadlock. They were failing to find a way past excellent keeper Panagiotis Glykos<\/strong> or Alexandros Tziolis<\/strong>. The latter converted eventually to third central defender to help the team\u2019s rearguard withstand Fiorentina\u2019s attacking waves.<\/p>\n The half-time interval did PAOK a world of good as they flew out of the blocks in the second half and claimed territorial superiority. They closed up spaces in their defence and put their maturity and cold blood to the team\u2019s service, launching numerous attacks to T\u0103t\u0103ru\u0219anu\u2019 s<\/strong> goal. They could have gotten their reward with Klaus, but he was ruled offside before getting the better of the Romanian keeper. PAOK\u2019s skipper however turned provider in the 81st minute. He collected the ball after Eyal Golasa\u2019s<\/strong> outstanding effort and teed up Maarten Martens<\/strong> for a simple finish.<\/p>\n ACF Fiorentina did not get frustrated as Glykos, Tziolis or Katsikas<\/strong> were time and again denying them the goods. They made their quality count in the last patches of the encounter and got their reward for the wasted chances. Manuel Pasqual<\/strong> was the one to beat Glykos curling home an astonishing free-kick. The visitors were left with a bittersweet feeling for letting the points slip, but it was once again confirmed that PAOK have become a force to be reckoned with in Europe\u2026<\/p>\n The \u201cDouble-Headed Eagle\u201d are now masters of their own fate and two victories away from qualifying to the UEFA Europa League \u201clast 32\u201d stage. That is where their fans certainly belong, those 2.500 faithful who\u2026 painted Fiorentina\u2019s viola stadium in black-and-white!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Line-ups:<\/p>\n ACF Fiorentina (Montella):<\/strong> T\u0103t\u0103ru\u0219anu, Tomovi\u0107 (86′ Babacar), Pasqual, Rodr\u00edguez, Basanta, Vargas (70′ Borja Valero), Pizarro, Cuadrado, Kurti\u0107, Lazzari (58′ Marin), G\u00f3mez.<\/p>\n P\u0391\u039f\u039a (Anastasiadis):<\/strong> Glykos, Kitsiou, V\u00edtor, Katsikas, Spyropoulos (90′ Tzavellas), Tziolis, Tzandaris, Golasa, Pereyra (46′ Maduro), Salpingidis (71′ Martens), Athanasiadis.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cArtemio Franchi\u201d is one of Italy\u2019s most traditional home grounds and a challenge for any visiting team. To get a positive result there, a rival must align quality, cold blood, passion, luck and conviction\u2026 PAOK remained undefeated in yet another away encounter and may even rue their luck for not …","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":113942,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2,5,179,195],"tags":[2379,8528],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n