PAOK crush Lamia at the Toumba
SUPER LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 7
PAOK cruised to a 3-0 victory over Lamia at the Toumba on Sunday afternoon to move back to within two points of Super League leaders Olympiacos thanks to a first-half goal blitz and some poor goalkeeping from home ‘keeper Markos Vellidis.
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Three goals from the home side in the first 11 minutes from Josip Misic, Dimitris Limnios and Karol Swiderski ended the game as a contest, with Vellidis heavily at fault for the first two strikes - feats which saw him replaced at half-time.
The visitors tried to get back in the game in the second half but PAOK had far too much quality and easily saw the game out to remain undefeated and pick up their fifth win in seven games played so far.
The Thessaloniki club leapfrogged Xanthi, who lost 1-0 to Aris earlier in the afternoon, into second place with 17 points, while Olympiacos lead with 19 points.
THE MATCH
The international break gave the PAOK camp a welcome respite to give extra time for the likes of injury victims Vierinha and Dimitris Pelkas time to get themselves fit, and their Portuguese captain Vierinha was included in the squad for the first time since April when he suffered a torn ACL.
PAOK, with a much-changed line-up compared to recent weeks that included starting places for Slovakian midfielder Miroslav Stoch and Iceland defender Ingi Ingasson, were in the mood right from the first whistle.
And it took just two minutes for the first goal to come, with Misic’s speculative shot from outside the penalty area finding its way past Vellidis, who made a comical mistake in judging the flight of the ball.
Just four minutes later it was 2-0 to the home side after Limnios nodded a header past Vellidis, who found himself in a poor position again, from a Dimitris Giannoulis cross.
There was nothing Vellidis could do about the third goal, however, which came in the 11th minute. The lively Giannoulis played in Stoch down the left channel, and the Slovakian squared for top scorer Swiderski to take his tally for the season to seven with a clever, flicked finish.
Lamia did manage to recover their composure and prevent any further goals before half-time, but they also struggled to create any clear scoring chances against a well-organised PAOK defence.
Panagiotis Katsikas came on to replace Vellidis at half-time, and the visitors had their work cut out to try and get back into the match in the second half.
The tempo in the second 45 minutes was a couple of gears down from the first, but it was still PAOK dominating most of the possession and making the running, with the visitors struggling to make any headway.
And it did not come as much of a surprise when PAOK threatened to score a fourth goal in the 76th minute, but this time Swiderski was thwarted by a combination of woodwork and Katsikas, as the Polish striker’s shot hit the post and then cannoned off the ‘keeper’s back before bouncing to safety.
The highlight of the evening was the introduction of Vierinha after 84 minutes, with the PAOK captain making his long-awaited return to action and receiving a standing ovation from all corners of the ground.
STARTING LINEUPS
PAOK: 88 Zivkovic (GK), 3 Matos, 4 Ingason, 15 Crespo, 23 Giannoulis, 33 Douglas, 27 Misic, 18 Limnios, 99 Stoch Miroslav, 21 Biseswar, 9 Swiderski
Lamia: 1 Vellidis (GK), 4 Adejo, 8 Pliatsikas, 10 Del Pino, 16 Bejarano, 18 Romanic, 21 Dimoutsos, 23 Skondras, 24 Vyntra, 27 Scarduelli, 7 Vassilogiannis
HIGHLIGHTS
