PAOK hosted Viktoria Plzeň at Toumba Stadium for the 3rd matchday of the Europa League’s League Phase, with Razvan Lucescu making several changes to the lineup, six out of eleven compared to the match against AEK.

How the two teams started
The Romanian coach decided to leave Baba Rahman on the bench, and Otto took the Ghanaian’s spot on the left wing. Kędziora and Kolei were the two center-backs, with Camara and Bakayoko chosen as the central midfielders. Konstantelias returned to the starting lineup as the attacking midfielder, while the regulars, Zivković and Tyson, played on the wings, and Brandon Thomas started as the main striker.

Viktoria Plzeň lined up in their usual 3-5-2 formation, with a defensive trio from left to right consisting of Jemelka, Marković, and Dué. In midfield, captain Kalvach partnered with Sojka, with Šulc positioned ahead of them. Cadu covered the left side, Havel the right, and the two forwards were Vydra and Adu.

A dominant first half for Plzeň
A combination of mistakes and poor positioning almost put PAOK in the position of chasing the score early. Adu scored from close range, but the VAR review showed that the Plzeň striker was barely offside by a few centimeters.

The Czechs continued to threaten, coming close to a goal with Vydra. They were dangerous in transitions, and PAOK abandoned building attacks from the back, opting for a more direct approach with goalkeeper Kotarski.

In the 32nd minute, Plzeň scored a goal that, after a VAR check, stood. PAOK’s defense remained static, and Havel had no trouble sending the ball past Kotarski for 0-1.

As if that wasn’t enough, a sequence of mistakes from PAOK led to a second goal for the Czechs. A mistake by Tyson, Sastre’s failure to stop Adu, and an error by Kotarski allowed Vydra to score 0-2 in the 39th minute. PAOK was mediocre to poor once again against a much more athletic team.

Koubek’s players pressed high, stole the ball, and easily reached PAOK’s penalty area, while Lucescu’s team struggled to threaten and had very few good moments.

Lucescu’s changes and the red card
If nothing changed dramatically in the second half, PAOK faced the prospect of another loss (their third in a row) in the Europa League League Phase, setting up for a very difficult night.

Lucescu substituted the very poor Bakayoko for Schwab, but the Greek team still struggled to approach the opponent’s area without creating any big chances for over an hour. It wasn’t until the 65th minute that PAOK created a great opportunity with Tyson’s shot, but Jindřich maintained his clean sheet.

PAOK entered the last 20 minutes of the game with a numerical advantage after Dué’s red card. However, a similar situation had unfolded in the match against Steaua, who left Thessaloniki with a win.

PAOK wakes up and turns things around with Tissoudali and Baba
The reaction of Lucescu’s players was a key issue. The Romanian coach brought on Tissoudali and Chalov from the bench, playing with a full-on attacking approach. The Russian forward came close to scoring in the 77th minute with a close-range shot, while Konstantelias missed a great chance after 80 minutes. Kotarski denied Jirka before Tissoudali reduced the score to 1-2 in the 84th minute, sparking new interest in the game.

The Moroccan forward nearly scored a second goal to tie in the 86th minute, and two minutes later, Chalov was also denied by Jindřich, with Kalvach clearing the ball almost off the line.

However, in the third minute of stoppage time, neither Jindřich nor Plzeň’s defenders could prevent the equalizer (2-2), which came from Baba’s close-range header!

MVP: Tissoudali made his presence felt in under half an hour, scoring a goal and having two great chances.

Standout performer: Jindřich kept Plzeň alive with his saves.

Weak link: Bakayoko had another very poor performance.

Blunder: Tyson’s ball loss led to Plzeň’s second goal.

Referee: Swiss referee Urs Schneider was almost flawless, correctly sending off Dué with a second yellow card.

Summary: PAOK responded after Lucescu’s changes and Dué’s red card, scoring two goals in ten minutes to avoid a third straight loss, keeping their hopes alive for a better future.

PAOK (Razvan Lucescu): Kotarski, Sastre (66′ Baba), Kędziora, Kolei, Otto (76′ Chalov), Camara, Bakayoko (59′ Schwab), Konstantelias, Zivković, Tyson (66′ Despodov), Thomas (66′ Tissoudali).

Viktoria Plzeň (Miroslav Koubek): Jindřich, Havel, Jemelka, Marković, Dué, Cadu, Kalvach, Sojka (77′ Červ), Šulc, Vydra (61′ Jirka), Adu (73′ Hejda).

24/10/2024, 21:56
Baba’s tie

24/10/2024, 21:56
Missed opportunities before

70′: Plzen is down to 10 men as Due is sent off with a second yellow card… The yellow card also for Andou.

24/10/2024 21:14
66′: Tsisundali, Baba, Despondov are Lucescu’s next three moves.

24/10/2024 21:09
65′: The first good buildup and a chance for PAOK, but Tyson cannot beat Gendliska.

24/10/2024 21:09
Once again, no chance arises… Nothing is working properly.

24/10/2024 21:07
63′: Corner for PAOK.

24/10/2024 21:07
61′: Andou’s header goes wide…

24/10/2024 21:03
58′: Schwab replaces Bakayoko… The Frenchman (once again) looked like a former player today.

24/10/2024 21:02
55′: Bakayoko makes a mistake; Andou cannot beat Kotsarski… PAOK is unable to approach the Czechs’ area.

24/10/2024 20:56
Poor execution from Zivkovic.

24/10/2024 20:56
52′: Corner for PAOK…

24/10/2024 20:55
49′: The most dangerous moment for PAOK with Otto’s shot, which deflected and was saved hard by Gendlika for a corner.

24/10/2024 20:52
Second half kickoff.
No substitutions for PAOK despite the 0-2 scoreline and their poor performance.

Europa League Live: PAOK – Plzen 0-2 (Halftime)
Score 0-1

24/10/2024 20:36
End of the first half
Despite PAOK having 72% possession, Plzen justifiably leads 2-0!

24/10/2024 20:34
45’+3′: PAOK’s possession has been pointless with very few threats, such as the weak shot from Konstantelias.

24/10/2024 20:32
45′: Bakayoko’s shot is completely off-target.

24/10/2024 20:29
44′: The Czechs appeal for a penalty for a handball by Otto, but the referee says play on.

24/10/2024 20:28
GOAL Plzen
39′: Tyson loses the ball, and on the counterattack, Kotarski cannot block Andu’s shot, allowing Vydra to score from close range for 0-2.

24/10/2024 20:23
38′: For the first time, PAOK finds some space, but Brandon’s cross fails to find a teammate.

24/10/2024 20:21
GOAL Plzen
32′: The VAR confirms there’s no offside, and Plzen takes the lead.

24/10/2024 20:16
Kędziora seems to be covering the scorer.

24/10/2024 20:16
31′: Havel scores from close range, but offside is called… It seems the goal should stand.

24/10/2024 20:15
29′: PAOK struggles to circulate the ball and get close to Plzen’s area, with the Czechs controlling the match. However, they haven’t threatened since the disallowed goal and the chance in the 6th minute.

24/10/2024 20:13
The disallowed goal by Plzen.

24/10/2024 20:07
Although there seems to be contact, VAR says play on.

24/10/2024 20:00
14′: Brandon Thomas is on the ground, but the referee says play on… The situation is being reviewed by VAR for a potential penalty.

24/10/2024 19:54
10′: PAOK’s first attempt with a missed shot by Sastre.

24/10/2024 19:54
9′: Plzen is pressing high and doing it excellently, causing PAOK to show signs of nervousness.

24/10/2024 19:53
7′: Vydra misses a huge opportunity as the Czechs quickly pass the ball, and PAOK’s defense is caught napping again.

24/10/2024 19:49
4′: The goal is disallowed for offside! PAOK gets lucky.

24/10/2024 19:48
The situation is being reviewed by VAR.

24/10/2024 19:48
GOAL Plzen
2′: Otto slips, and Plzen counterattacks, with Kotarski saving the first attempt, but Andu scores from close range for 0-1.

24/10/2024 19:46
Kick-off in the match.
24/10/2024 19:44
The Czechs are also without a win but have two draws, including an epic 3-3 in Frankfurt where they were down 3-1.

Plzen is in 3rd place in their league, 7 points behind leaders Slavia, and has traveled to Thessaloniki without Rickardinho and Slonsky.

For PAOK, Soretiere is out, and Baba will also be rested.

24/10/2024 18:45
“The result and especially the performance in the match against AEK gave us confidence and showed that as a group we are on the right path,” said Razvan Lucescu yesterday, adding: “… it will by no means be an easy game because we are facing a very experienced and good opponent.”

24/10/2024 18:45
While the opening defeat against Galatasaray was expected, the home loss to Steaua in Toumba put PAOK in a tough spot, turning today’s match against Victoria Plzen into an early final.

24/10/2024 18:45
Things are not going as PAOK imagined when they began their Europa League journey.