Decade Review: PAOK FC, a memorable ending to the decade

AGONAsport’s “Decade in Review'' series continues with Athan Stylos looking back at PAOK’s successful ending to the decade, which included the club’s first domestic league title in 34 years, while also winning the Greek Cup in three consecutive seasons.

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2009-10 season

Under Portuguese manager Fernando Santos, PAOK finished the campaign in third place behind arch rivals Panathinaikos, who were champions, and runners-up Olympiacos. Initially, PAOK won 11 out of 15 matches in the first half of the campaign, however three consecutive losses to Aris, AEK and Larissa from matchday 26 to 28 cost them a chance at silverware. In February they suffered a shock 4:0 defeat to PAS Giannina in the quarter-finals of the Greek Cup.

2010-11 season

PAOK ended their Super League campaign in fourth spot with a record of 14 wins, 6 draws and 10 losses. Pavlos Dermitzakis was appointed by PAOK as manager, however, he only lasted 12 games in the job, before being removed after winning a mere three matches. The club appointed Makis Chavos as their new head coach in October of 2010. PAOK were bundled out of the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round with Ajax advancing through on the away goals rule following a 4:4 aggregate score line.  The club managed to reach the round of 32 of the UEFA Europa League following a famous 2:1 victory in the UEFA Europa League play-off round against Fenerbahce. PAOK finished second in Group D which included Villarreal, Dinamo Zagreb and Club Brugge. They suffered defeat in the knockout stages to Russian outfit CSKA Moscow 2:1 on aggregate.

2011–12 season

PAOK finished in third place on a total of 50 points behind champions Olympiacos and runners-up Panathinaikos. The club successfully qualified for the 2011-12 Europa League competition and finished on top of Group A with a total of 12 points from this six matchdays. The highlight of the Dikefalos tou Vorra’s season was their 2:1 away victory against English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.

2012-13 season

In May 2012, Giorgos Donis signed a two-year contract, becoming PAOK's manager following the sacking of Laszlo Boloni. The club improved on its finishes in previous seasons to earn second spot 15 points behind the champions Olympiacos. The Dikefalos tou Vorra claimed a record of 18 wins, eight draws and four defeats. They also managed to make a deep run in the Greek Cup, eventually falling short against Asteras Tripolis in the quarter-finals.

2013-14 season

Dutch manager Huub Stevens began the season in charge of the club, but his tenure was cut short in March. Georgios Georgiadis took over from Stevens as an interim manager for the remainder of the season. PAOK finished in second place for the second consecutive season behind Olympiacos once again. The club advanced through to the knockout stages of the Europa League finishing in second place in their group, before suffering elimination against Benfica in the last 32. Notably, PAOK did reach the final of the Greek Cup, where they were comfortably beaten 4:1 by Panathinaikos.

2014-15 season

On 19 May 2014, Angelos Anastasiadis was appointed as PAOK's new manager after signing a two-year contract with the club. Anastasiadis was removed from his position in March with Georgios Georgiadis again taking over the reins as interim for the remainder of the season. PAOK finished the season in third place behind Olympiacos and Panathinaikos. It was a disappointing season overall for PAOK, as they finished last in the group stages of the Greek Cup, while also coming third in the Europa League group stage.

2015-16 season

On 18 June 2015, Croatian Igor Tudor became PAOK's manager after signing a three-year deal. He was sacked in March of 2016, due to poor results as well as disparaging comments about his own team. Former player Vladimir Ivic was appointed as his successor. The team completed the season in third position of the league table. The team made it to the semi-finals of the Greek Cup but controversial circumstances saw PAOK eliminated by Olympiacos. The semi-final was abandoned in the 90th minute of the first leg encounter in Thessaloniki with the score at 1:2. It was later decided that Olympiacos would be awarded a 3:0 away win. PAOK didn't show up to the second leg which resulted in Olympiacos being awarded a 3:0 walkover victory. The club failed to make it out of the Europa League group stages as well.

2016-17 season

This was the first season under the new ownership and presidency of Russian-Greek businessman Ivan Savvidis. The club progressed and improved on the previous season’s results by finishing second in the Super League, six points behind champions Olympiacos. The biggest achievement for PAOK throughout the campaign was their triumph in the Greek Cup Final after defeating AEK 2:1, with PAOK winger Pedro Henrique scoring the winner in the 81st minute of the final. They also managed to qualify for the round of 32 in the Europa League, after finishing in second spot in their respective group which included group winners Fiorentina, Qarabag and Slovan Liberec. The Dikefalos tou Vorra drew German outfit Schalke 04 in the knockout stage of the competition, but bowed out on aggregate 4:1.

2017-18 season

Following the departure of Vladimir Ivic at the end of the previous season, Serbian manager Aleksandar Stanojevic was appointed as the new manager of the club on a three-year deal. However, surprisingly his tenure only lasted two matches, after he was relieved of his duties due to poor performances throughout pre-season friendlies and issues with team morale and harmony. Romanian Razvan Lucescu was selected as the club’s new manager and did a terrific job after being appointed just before the commencement of the season. PAOK finished in second place, six points off the champions AEK in a controversial campaign. The team got its revenge on AEK in the Greek Cup Final by winning 2:0 in Athens.

2018-19 season

PAOK enjoyed their greatest ever season in the club’s history, achieving the domestic double. The team went throughout the entire Super League season unbeaten. PAOK finished with a record of 26 wins, and four draws from its 30 league encounters, finishing five points ahead of runners-up Olympiacos. PAOK completed the Greek Cup three-peat after defeating AEK 1:0 at the Olympic Stadium. The team entered the Champions League at the second qualifying round stage and advanced throughout to the playoff round after defeating Basel and Spartak Moscow, however, they fell short at the last hurdle against Benfica. PAOK entered the Europa League group stages and had a disappointing campaign finishing bottom of their group with only one win.

2019-20 season

PAOK’s championship winning manager Razvan Lucescu moved on at the end of the season, which saw Portuguese manager Abel Ferreira take the top job. PAOK commenced the new season in the third qualifying round of the Champions League against Ajax, where they were eliminated 5:4 on aggregate. PAOK entered the playoff round of the Europa League and were upset by Slovan Bratislava on the away goals rule. At this moment in time, in early February 2020, PAOK are two points behind Olympiacos in the table.

THE HIGHS

Super League champions and invincible season (2018/19)

PAOK completed the 2018-19 season with a record of 26 wins and 4 draws from its 30 league fixtures. The mission following the heartbreak of narrowly falling short of the championship in the previous season was to claim the league title for the first time in 34 years.

PAOK - Olympiacos 3:1 (Super League 2018-19)

In what was a title-deciding clash between PAOK and Olympiacos, PAOK were 3:1 victors over their rivals in Thessaloniki to secure a nine-point buffer at the top of the table with 10 games remaining, practically securing the league title.

PAOK - Spartak Moscow 3:2 (2018/19 UCL 3rd Qualifying Round)

PAOK completed a remarkable first leg comeback in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League against Spartak Moscow after falling behind 0:2 within the first 17 minutes. When all seemed lost, PAOK responded with three first-half goals of their own in the space of 15 minutes from Aleksandar Prijovic, Dimitris Limnios and Dimitris Pelkas to earn an advantage in which they were able to hold onto in Russia the following week (0:0).

PAOK - AEK 1:0 (Greek Cup Final 2018/19)

With PAOK searching for their third consecutive Greek Cup triumph over AEK, the hype of this Final was not as impactful due to the absence of fans within the stadium. PAOK, however, proved yet again that they held the edge over their rivals as they celebrated the Cup title with a 1:0 win thanks to an outstanding finish by Chuba Akpom. This win secured PAOK’s first league/cup double in club history.

PAOK – AEK 2:0 (Greek Cup Final 2017/18)

Following the heartbreak of losing the Super League to AEK, PAOK bounced back and gained revenge by defeating their Dikefaloi rivals 2:0 in the Cup Final. The Dikefalos tou Vorra dominated for long periods of the match. Aleksandar Prijovic had his penalty saved and a number of golden opportunities had gone begging for PAOK. Nevertheless, PAOK eventually broke through in the second half, as Vieirinha scored a stunning free-kick before Dimitris Pelkas sealed the victory in stoppage time.

PAOK – AEK 2:1 (Greek Cup Final 2016/17)

PAOK claimed the fifth Greek Cup in the club’s history and its first since 2003. PAOK opened the scoring through Diego Biseswar, but AEK equalised two minutes later when a mistake from goalkeeper Panagiotis Glykos allowed Lazaros Christodoulopoulos to score from long-range. The match turned when substitute Brazilian winger Pedro Henrique headed in a late winner to seal the victory for the club from Thessaloniki. The Final will be remembered for its violent clashes between both sets of fans which saw the match delayed for half an hour.

Tottenham – PAOK 1:2 (2011/12 UEFA Europa League group stage)

PAOK upset English Premier League outfit Tottenham on matchday five of the group stages. The Greeks raced out to a 2:0 away lead thanks to a Dimitris Salpingidis header and a Stefanos Athanasiadis tap-in. Tottenham were awarded a penalty after PAOK’s left-back Kostas Stafylidis was sent off for handling the ball on the goal line. Luka Modric's first-half penalty gave Spurs the momentum, however the 10-man Greek side were resilient and held on for all three points.

FC Basel – PAOK 0:3 (2018/19 UEFA Champions League 2nd Qualifying Round)

PAOK travelled to Switzerland with a slender 2:1 home advantage from the previous week in Thessaloniki. The Greek side came out firing with a quick away goal from centre-back Fernando Varela. In the second half, PAOK played on the counter-attack and were rewarded with two more goals from Aleksandar Prijovic and Omar El Kaddouri to secure a memorable 5:1 aggregate victory over the two legs.

Fiorentina – PAOK 2:3 (2016/17 UEFA Europa League group stages)

On matchday 5, PAOK were desperate for all three points after only managing four points from its first four matches in Group J, as well as suffering two losses in a row in the competition. The Greeks got off to the perfect start with two goals in the first 26 minutes from Yevhen Shakhov and Djalma Campos. However, by the 50th minute the Italians were back level with goals on either side of half time from Federico Bernardeschi and Khouma Babacar. PAOK claimed all three points in stoppage time thanks to a goal from Garry Rodrigues. The away victory helped PAOK reach the knockout stages of the competition after finishing the group in second place.

PAOK – Fenerbahce 2:1 on aggregate (2010/11 UEFA Europa League Play-off Round)

PAOK began the new decade with qualification into the UEFA Europa League after advancing past Turkish outfit Fenerbahce in the playoffs. In Greece, PAOK secured a 1:0 victory to take back to Turkey for the second leg. In the second leg, Fenerbahce claimed the win 1:0 within normal time which sent the match into extra time. Zlatan Muslimovic claimed the victory for the Greeks with a goal in the 101st minute in extra time.

THE LOWS

Ivan Savvidis gun incident (Super League 2017/18)

PAOK’s owner Ivan Savvidis entered the field at Toumba Stadium when PAOK had a late goal ruled out in a title deciding match-up against AEK in 2018 with a handgun which was clearly visible in his pocket. He threatened the referee and all but ended PAOK’s tilt at the league title, with AEK subsequently refusing to play the rest of the match. The incident attracted worldwide attention.

Runners-up in 2017/18 Greek Super League season

Having been in its best position in years to win its first league title in over 30 years, PAOK had their match with Olympiacos at Toumba Stadium called off before kick-off due to a fan throwing an object at opposing manager Oscar Garcia. The following week, PAOK were defeated by Asteras Tripoli 3:2 away from home. The week after PAOK had their match with AEK suspended before the game was completed due to Ivan Savvidis coming onto the pitch to protest the referee’s decision.

Panathinaikos – PAOK 4:1 (Greek Cup Final 2013/14)

PAOK suffered a 4:1 humiliating loss in the Final of the Greek Cup in the 2013-14 season over Panathinaikos. The Greens’ front men Marcus Berg and Nikos Karelis troubled PAOK throughout the entire Final, with Berg scoring a hat-trick and Karelis also finding the back of the net.

PAOK – Benfica 1:4 (2018/19 UEFA Champions League playoff round)

PAOK came into the second leg full of confidence following a 1:1 draw in the first leg in Lisbon. PAOK striker Aleksandar Prijovic got the home team off to the perfect start with a goal in the 13th minute, but from then on it was one-way traffic for Benfica with the dream of reaching the UEFA Champions League group stages rapidly fading.

Ostersund – PAOK 2:0 (2017/18 UEFA Europa League Playoff round)

PAOK headed into the second leg with a 3:1 advantage from Thessaloniki. The Greeks looked in control of the second leg until two goals from Saman Ghoddos in the final 20 minutes of the second leg sent the Swedish club through to the Europa League group stages.

PAOK - Slovan Bratislava 3:3* on aggregate (2019/20 UEFA Europa League Playoff round)

After winning the Super League for the first time in 34 years, PAOK’s goal was to qualify for the UEFA Champions League group stages for the first time in club history. Unfortunately, the Thessalonikis were paired with Ajax in the third qualifying round and despite putting up a good fight, bowed out and were demoted to the Europa League. PAOK’s pairing with Slovan Bratislava seemed an easy one and complacency got the better of the Dikefalos tou Vorra. A shock defeat in the final moments of the first leg in Bratislava set up a tough return leg in Thessaloniki. Slovan got the all-important away goal late in the first half, meaning PAOK needed three goals to advance. PAOK fought back with two goals early in the second half, but the visitors scored in the 61st minute to end the hosts’ comeback surge. Giannoulis’ late goal gave PAOK hope but it was too little too and the Super League champions missed out on European play for the season.  

TEAM OF THE DECADE

Goalkeeper: Panagiotis Glykos

Panagiotis Gykos was awarded with winning PAOK’s 2016/17 Players' Player of the Year after having his career-best season for the club. Overall, the Greek shot stopper made 165 appearances for the club between 2007 and 2019.

Substitute: Alexandros Paschalakis

Right Back: Leo Matos

The Brazilian full-back has become an instrumental part of PAOK’s success in recent seasons. Since Matos signed for PAOK in 2016, he has made a total of 100 appearances for the club, contributing to both the defensive and attacking sides of PAOK’s game.

Substitute: Stelios Kitsiou

Centre-Back: Fernando Varela

Fernando Varela was a part of PAOK’s 2018/19 championship winning side which only conceded 14 goals from a total of 30 league matches. Since joining the club in 2016, Varela has been a consistent performer, participating in 86 league matches.

Substitute: Pablo Contreras

Centre-Back: Jose Angel Crespo

Jose Angel Crespo has created a brilliant partnership alongside Varela over the past few seasons in Thessaloniki. The Spaniard was also a vital piece in PAOK’s quest to an invincible league campaign.

Substitute: Miguel Vítor

Left-Back: Vieirinha

Vieirinha is a fan favourite and a much-loved character at the club, first playing for PAOK between 2008 and 2012 before returning in 2017. Vieirinha was captain as the club went on to win its first national title in 34 years. When he joined the organisation for the second time, he promised that he would end his career at PAOK.

Substitute: Lino

Centre Midfield: Pablo Garcia

Pablo Garcia was a fan favourite from the minute he arrived in Thessaloniki. The defensive midfielder made a total of 109 league appearances for PAOK and was an aggressive and passionate player.  

Substitute: Vitolo

Centre Midfield: Mauricio

The Brazilian midfielder joined in 2017 and has been a stand-out in PAOK’s midfield ever since he arrived. He has made a total of 67 appearances for the club and scored nine goals. His ability to break up play in the middle of the park has made him a valuable member of PAOK’s successful team. 

Substitute: Vladimir Ivic

Right-Wing: Dimitris Salpingidis

Salpingidis experienced two stints at the club, the first being between 2002 and 2006 and the second from 2010 to 2015. In his second spell at PAOK, the winger scored 40 goals in 159 games.

Substitute: Robert Mak

Left-Wing: Diego Biseswar

The Dutch winger has been a consistent, creative performer for PAOK since joining the club in 2016. Biseswar has scored 23 goals and provided 29 assists from his 135 matches for the club. 

Substitute: Pedro Henrique

Striker: Aleksandar Prijovic

Prolific striker Aleksandar Prijovic spent two years at PAOK from 2017 to 2019. The Serbian made a total of 87 appearances for the club across all competitions, scoring 55 goals. Prijovic was also awarded the Super League golden boot for the 2017/18 season with 19 league goals.

Substitute: Dimitris Pelkas

Striker: Stefanos Athanasiadis

After beginning his youth career at PAOK, Athanasiadis signed for the senior team in 2007. From 2007 to 2017, the striker played 275 games for the club, scoring 102 goals and providing 31 assists.

Substitute: Dimitris Papadopoulos

Manager: Razvan Lucescu

The Romanian experienced a successful two seasons in Thessaloniki. The technician brought success to PAOK by winning the Super League for the first time in 34 years. Lucescu will go down in the history books of the club in the way in which his team secured the league title, going throughout the entire campaign undefeated. He also managed to win two Greek Cups in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 season, which included the first league/cup double in the club’s history.

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