For the third time in its entire history, PAOK Thessaloniki reached the quarterfinals of a European competition after being eliminated from Conference League in Dinamo Zagreb, destroyed by a defeat (4-1) in which the Greek team managed to score two goals against them in the first leg.
The public in attendance Toumba Stadium vibrated with a comeback that will go down in PAOK history. Lost 2-0 in Zagreb and few are betting on their continuation in the Conference League. However, led by men Razvan Lucescu They outlasted their rival and earned a ticket to the next round.
Over the decades, the PAOK, On only two other occasions did he reach the continental quarterfinals. He recently did so in the 2021/22 season, also in the Conference League, and was eliminated by Olympique Marseille. And he also played in the quarterfinals of extinct European Cup Winners’ Cup of the 1973/74 season where he was eliminated from the competition after being beaten in Milan by Gianni Rivera, who would later lose in the final with Magdeburg.
He Dinamo Zagreb He suffered a terrible journey. He went to the event that was successful last weekend in the Croatian League with seven substitute players. Almost all the starters rested and played with fresh legs in Greece.
PAOK, second in the group fighting for the Greek League title, cannot reserve too many players. They just rested Vieirinha, Schwab and Constantaliathe only news compared to their previous match, a loss against Aris (0-1).
With that script, no one could have predicted the Greek gale, who in just 15 minutes, which lasted between 27 and 42 of the first half, restored the tie with goals from Abdul Rahman Baba, Brandon Thomas and Petar Sucic (own ideal).
Dinamo Zagreb reacted in the first moments of the second half. Arber Hoxha They reduced the gap to four minutes after the restart, but again PAOK, in the last period, reacted and provided a decisive finish. Konstantinos Koulierakis and Andrija Zivkovic, from the penalty spot, they eliminated the Croatian team and placed PAOK in the eight best of Conference League.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
