Oenning: “We wanted it more”
 

After ending PAOK’s long undefeated streak in the Super League, Aris manager Michael Oenning noted the atmosphere, while Abel Ferreira promised a reaction.

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Aris have become the first Super League club in 52 games to beat PAOK. Initially, PAOK took the lead through Karol Swiderski, but four successive goals from Daniel Larsson, Fran Velez, Lindsay Rose and Lucas Sasha secured a dramatic 4-2 triumph for Aris, with their fans having organised a stunning pyrotechnic show before the battle began. Leo Matos grabbed a late PAOK consolation.

“We wanted it more,” beamed Aris boss Oenning. “With this amazing support, we were able to overcome all of the difficulties, even though PAOK scored an early goal. At the start of the game, we lacked organisation, but then we turned it around. It was key that we managed to equalise quickly after falling behind. PAOK found it very tough to move the ball. The atmosphere? It was very special!”

“I am here to defend PAOK, I am the head coach of my club,” stated Abel Ferreira when asked about the atmosphere inside the Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium. “We have lost three points. However, even though this defeat hurts us and our fans, I believe that we will respond immediately. The mistakes made by Zivko Zivkovic? I am not here to search for excuses. I have to make the best decisions for the team when in a calm frame of mind. Sadly, we have lost for the first time, but this unbeaten achievement was down to the previous coach. We conceded defeat today because we were not effective. The season is long.”

Giorgos Delizisis, the captain of Aris, thanked the fans for their incredible support at the arena: “The supporters were absolutely fantastic today, this is the best atmosphere in Greece. I want to speak about them instead of the game itself. We have managed to make all Aris fans happy with the victory but, while this is a big win, we now have to earn a victory in the Greek Cup match. At the start of the game, PAOK did surprise us, but we kept believing.”

Second Aris goalscorer Fran Velez pointed out the tactical change in the first half: “When we conceded a goal, we were playing too passively, but we subsequently switched to an aggressive approach and it worked. My goal? I would like to dedicate it to my wife. Certainly, this is a huge victory for us, but we now have to focus on the Greek Cup match in the week.”

“Aris were more effective than us,” said PAOK attacking midfielder Dimitris Pelkas. “For our part, we did have chances, but we couldn’t take advantage of them. Aris took advantage of our mistakes in the first half. It’s frustrating, because we did start well in the opening 20 minutes.”

Vieirinha urged his PAOK teammates to keep their heads held high: “We really wanted to keep the undefeated run going, but after missing a few opportunities to add to our first goal, the opponents gained confidence. I can’t say it was a bad game for us, because we did have chances. We must lift our heads and keep moving forward.”

by Shaun Nicolaides

Image Source: sport-fm.gr

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