History repeated for the third time
After securing their drought breaking and third league title in history, AGONAsport’s Athan Stylos takes a look at PAOK’s previous two championships which were achieved in the 1975/1976 and 1984/1985 seasons.
Watch LIVE GREEK TV including full GREEK SPORTS coverage from AGONASport.com!
Maiden league title in the 1975/1976 season
In its 50th year of existence and the 17th consecutive season in the top flight of Greek football, PAOK finally secured its first league title by finishing five points above nearest challengers AEK FC., PAOK finished the season with 21 wins, seven draws and two losses from 30 matches, with a winning percentage of 70%.
Before the commencement of the campaign, PAOK attracted talented goalkeeper Mladen Furtula from Panserraikos on a free transfer in order to bolster its squad, and challenge for the league championship.
The Dikefalos tou Vorra’s first championship was secured with two matchdays to go when they defeated Iraklis 1:3 at Kaftanzoglio Stadium. PAOK were the dominant team throughout the entire campaign, especially at home where they slayed their main rivals; PAOK beat AEK (1:0), Olympiacos (3:1) and Panathinaikos (4:0) at the Toumba Stadium. The Champions only lost one match at home for the entire season, dropping a 1:2 defeat to Atromitos in Thessaloniki. In the Alpha Ethniki PAOK scored a total of 60 goals from 30 league matches, averaging two goals per match.
Attacking midfielder Giorgos Koudas was the club’s top scorer with 14 goals, followed by Brazilian import Neto Guerino and Stavros Sarafis who finished with 11 markers apiece. The current Greek national team manager, Angelos Anastasiadis, was a member of the championship winning team, playing in midfield where he scored a total of nine goals.
Within that season, PAOK played against European powerhouse and Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona side in the first round of the UEFA Cup. The Dikefalos tou Vorra claimed a 1:0 victory in the first leg in Thessaloniki, before suffering a heavy 1:6 defeat in Catalonia.
Second title in the 1984/1985 season
PAOK had to work hard for their second Greek championship. In the 1984/1985 season, PAOK finished the campaign with 46 points, only three ahead of Panathinaikos and AEK. Olympiacos claimed fourth spot by registering 42 points in what was a highly competitive, exciting campaign.
Many believed that it would be a tough campaign with club great Giorgos Koudas retiring after nearly playing 20 years at PAOK. However, PAOK recruited very well during the off-season by signing Serbian duo Ivan Jurisic, a defender from Red Star Belgrade, and striker Rade Paprica from Bosnian club Zeljeznicar. The Thessaloniki organisation attracted four more players during the Winter transfer period; goalkeeper Lakis Stergioudas from AEK, midfielders Spano Sotiropoulos and Nikos Liakos from Panachaiki and PAS Giannina and forward Michalis Iordanidis.
PAOK completed its championship winning season with 19 victories, eight draws and three losses from 30 league matches. In those 30 games, PAOK managed to score a total of 54 goals, while only conceding 26 goals in the campaign.
The Dikefalos tou Vorra boasted a great record in home derbies. They defeated Aris 2:0 on matchday two, subsequently following it up with a 1:0 victory over Olympiacos at Toumba. The difference in the league came when PAOK came away with a crucial 0:1 away win over Panathinaikos midway through the season. In the second half of the campaign, PAOK only lost two games against Aris and Olympiacos. PAOK secured the title on the final matchday at Toumba where they played out a 1:1 draw.
The leading PAOK scorer was forward Christos Dimopoulos who scored 12 goals. Midfielder Giorgos Skartados tallied 11 goals in the campaign, while forward Georgios Kostikos scored eight markers. Serbian import Rade Paprica scored on six occasions throughout the championship winning season.
