Chelsea cruise to victory against 10-men PAOK
Chelsea cruise to victory against 10-men PAOK
UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 5
PAOK slumped to a fourth defeat in five Europa League matches as they were defeated 4-0 by English Premier League giants Chelsea in a match which they played with 10 men for 83 minutes after Yevhen Khacheridi’s early red card
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A first-half double from Oliver Giroud and further goals from Callum Hudson-Odoi and Alvaro Morata in the second half, secured another comfortable Group L victory for Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea, while the match represented a damage limitation exercise for 10-man PAOK.
The result means Razvan Lucescu’s PAOK team are rock-bottom of the group three points behind second-placed BATE Borisov and Vidi going into the final matchday. However, good news came out of Belarus as BATE defeated Vidi 2:0 and kept PAOK well in the game to qualify for the last 32 of the competition.
On the final matchday, PAOK will need to defeat BATE at Toumba and hope for a Chelsea win in Hungary away to Vidi in order to advance to the knockout stages. This will result in a three-way tie between PAOK, BATE, and Vidi on six points which will send PAOK second in the group due to a better goal differential in games between the three tied teams (results against Chelsea are thrown out). If Vidi claim a point against Chelsea, the Hungarians will take second place regardless of what PAOK do against BATE.
THE MATCH
PAOK, clad in their bright orange change kit, arrived in London bottom of section on three points and searching for an unlikely upset victory that would keep their slim hopes of qualifying for the knockout phase alive.
And in the early exchanges, they set about their task with energy and urgency against the competition favorites, chasing down every ball and passing the ball around crisply.
That was until the seventh minute when a woefully stray pass from Leo Matos across his own goal put his centre-back Khacheridi in trouble. Chelsea striker Giroud rushed to intercept the ball and Khacheridi stretched to try and win it but sent the Frenchman tumbling instead.
The result was a foul just outside the box and a red card for Khacheridi, leaving PAOK to battle for 83 minutes with 10 players. Cesc Fabregas scuffed the subsequent free-kick wide, but from then on it was all one-way traffic as Chelsea lay siege to the PAOK goal.
Alexandros Paschalakis in the PAOK goal became one of the busiest players on the pitch, producing the first of a string of saves in the 18th minute when he tipped a Loftus-Cheek drive around the post at full stretch.
PAOK did look dangerous when they tried to counter attack, but far too often they let themselves down with poor final balls when they needed more quality to relieve the pressure on their defenders.
The visitors resistance was finally broken in the 27th minute by Giroud. The Frenchman made it three in three games in all competitions, driving home a low finish after a clever, delayed pass from Pedro Rodríguez.
A minute later it was almost 2-0 when Hudson-Odoi worked himself some space before unleashing a curling shot which hit the crossbar and bounced to safety.
It was only a matter of time before another goal came it sure enough Paschalakis was picking the ball out of the net again after 27 minutes.
Giroud was the man on target again, volleying home brilliantly at full stretch after latching on a superb lofted pass into the box by Fabregas, who was given far too much time and space to pick his pass.
It was difficult to see how PAOK could find a way back into the game without committing too many players forward and risk conceding more goals, but there was a real chance to Amir Warda to score seven minutes into the second half.
A corner was cleared by the Chelsea defence but only as far as Warda, who volleyed wide from the edge of the box.
That rare forward foray was one of only a few for PAOK on the night, and normal service wa resumed a few minutes later when Paschalakis was called into action again to make a diving save from Loftus-Cheek after the Chelsea midfielder surged through the heart of the PAOK defence on a mazy run.
As the PAOK players grew fatigued in the second half it was inevitable that Chelsea would score again. And they did right on the hour mark when Hudson-Odoi cut inside and swept a superb low, side-footed shot inside Paschalakis’ goal for this first Chelsea goal.
Hudson-Odi then turned provider in the 78th minute for substitute Morata, sending over a cross which the Spaniard dispatched past Paschalakis with a firm header to make it 4-0.
STARTING LINEUPS
Chelsea: 1 Arrizabalaga(GK), 4 Fàbregas, 8 Barkley, 11 Pedro Rodríguez, 12 Loftus-Cheek, 18 Giroud, 20 Hudson-Odoi, 21 Zappacosta, 24 Cahill(C), 27 A. Christensen, 33 Emerson Palmieri
PAOK: 31 Paschalakis(GK), 3 Léo Matos, 7 El Kaddouri, 8 Maurício, 9 Prijović, 15 Crespo, 19, Wernbloom, 20 Vieirinha(C), 28 Shakhov, 34 Khacheridi, 98 Léo Jabá
by Graham Wood
Image Source: sportfm.gr
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