Olympiacos destroyed PAOK in Toumba 4-1 and sent a message in all directions that it still has a pulse. Navarro (29′), Pontense (54′) and El Kaabi (83′, 90′) scored the winners’ goals, while Despontov equalized in the 39th minute.
An outstanding Olympiakos made a comeback statement in Toumba by dismantling PAOK 4-1 and taking revenge for the defeat in the first round. Piraeus made their best performance this year, it was a full match of the Mendiliber football players who justly prevailed over PAOK. The “red and white” with the double in Toumba set the championship on fire and showed their opponents that they still have a pulse and are not going to give it up. At no time during the match did PAOK manage to find an antidote to the pressure of Olympiakos, while Medilibar had answers to whatever Lucescu did.
And the battle of the benches had a huge interest in the Toumba game. Lucescu lined up PAOK in a 4-2-3-1 with Meite and Ozdoev in midfield, while Constantelias started on the left side of the attack and Despodov on the right with Samata playing the main attack. On the other hand, Mendiliber chose a trio in the midfield with Ese, Ciquinho and Horta. Fortunis and Podense played on the wings of the attack and Navarro was selected at the top of the attack.
From the start of the match, Olympiacos showed that it was in the mood to control the match and put pressure on its opponent very correctly. The team from Piraeus pressed the Thessaloniki team as it should, which did not allow them to keep the ball at their feet. PAOK couldn’t catch their breath and Olympiacos was responsible for that with the way they played. Navarro also did a great job for Olympiakos, who took the starting jersey instead of El Kaabi.
The “red and white” with their lines close together seemed to be more dangerous than their opponent. On the contrary, PAOK could not create and expected everything from Konstantinos. Somehow, in the 29th minute, Olympiacos opened the scoring with Navarro in a phase in which Fortounis, Pontense, Ciquinho participated in order for the Spanish forward to score. Based on the image of the two teams, Olympiacos was rightly in the lead, but in the 39th minute, in a phase that the Piraeus team was rightfully shouting, PAOK equalized. Constantelias took the ball from Rodiney with a foul, filled the area and Despontov took advantage of Ortega’s inability to clear and made it 1-1 with which the two teams went to the locker room.
In the replay, the scene did not change with Olympiakos stepping on the field just as well and its lines being very close, which enabled it to control the match and not be in danger. The Piraeus had a very good night against Pontense and it turned out that this was enough. In the 54th minute he quickly committed the foul with Fortunis and with an unimaginable shot from outside the area he beat Kotarski for 1-2.
Lucescu then reacted from the bench by bringing on Zivkovic and Tomas as he strengthened his left side and began to take steps up the pitch. The Thessaloniki team went on the attack and started to press, but at that point came the reaction of Medilibar who put on Masoura to press and El Kaabi to freshen up their attack. Somehow, the Piraeus brought the match to their own devices and from that point on, a party followed. In the 83rd minute, Pontense served El Kaabi and he made it 1-3 with a shot, but the Piraeus team had not said the last word. In the 90′ Masouras found Podense who shot from inside the area, Kotarski saved and El Kaabi scored again for 1-4. The Moroccan signed the triumph in Toumba and put a spin on the championship.
Stadium: Toumbas
Referee: Dingert (Germany)
Yellows: 12′ Biancon, 13′ Despontov, 41′ Fortounis, 57′ Ese, 64′ Paschalakis, 71′ Tomas
Scorers: 29′ Navarro, 39′ Despontov, 54′ Pontense, 83′ El Kaabi, 90′ El Kaabi
Compositions
PAOK: Kotarski – Sastre (72′ Otto), Keziora, Koulierakis, Baba – Meite (72′ Schwab), Ozdoev – Murg (61′ A. Zivkovic), Constantelias (86′ Tzimas), Despodov – Samata (61′ Thomas)
OLYMPIAKOS: Paschalakis – Rodinei, Biancon (87′ Retsos), Carmo, Ortega – Ese, Horta (79′ Ibora), Tsiquinho – Fortounis (76′ Masouras), Pontense, Navarro (76′ El Caabi)