In the first leg of the Europa League Play-off, PAOK secured a solid 4-0 victory over Shamrock Rovers with goals by Cleary (45+4 OG), Taison (47), Konstantelias (67), and Rahman (90+4). This bruising defeat under Thessaloniki’s sweltering heat has virtually ended Shamrock Rovers’ Europa League journey.
A goal accidentally scored by Dan Cleary on his own team marked the beginning falter in the Rovers’ defensive stance, subsequently made worse by two more goals in the second half. These goals, which sandwiched Josh Honohan’s expulsion from the game, solidified PAOK’s dominance. Yet even after an unsuccessful penalty attempt, the Greek team managed a last-minute fourth goal, almost guaranteeing their advance to the next phase of this second-tier UEFA competition, structured in the Swiss-system.
The upcoming second leg at Tallaght Stadium could offer the Rovers a chance at the Conference League, a noteworthy conciliatory prospect. Key centre-back Roberto Lopes was noticeably absent from the first match’s starting lineup at Toumba Stadium due to an injury he sustained in last week’s victory over Celje, a loss that clearly impacted the Rovers.
PAOK, with Manager Razvan Lucescu fielding 10 full internationals out of nine nations and nearly 200 caps among them, seemed unworried. After their unfortunate Champions League drop-out, the Greek champions promptly showcased their prowess with goalie Pohls making two excellent saves in quick succession.
Firstly, Pohls skillfully deflected a shot from Thomas Brandon, which had been assisted by Andrija Zivkovic’s right-flank manoeuvre. Secondly, Pohls repulsed a close-proximity shot by Polish player Tomasz Kedziora from a corner kick by Taison. At last, with an off-mark shot, Gary O’Neill attempted to retaliate for Rovers, but Dominik Kotarski found it of no concern.
Rovers were severely tested during a 20-minute counterattack but breathed a sigh of relief when Zivkovic’s shot spectacularly missed the target. In the face of set-pieces, PAOK showed signs of weakness as shown in their clash with Malmo, making a blunder in their marking of Rovers’ first corner. Rovers’ Sean Hoare missed an opportunity when his free header from Dylan Watts’ cross flew above the goal. Lopes substituted an injured Trevor Clarke and proved his worth by courageously blocking a strike from Jonny Otto with his head.
Despite controlling more than 60% of the game, PAOK was disappointed when a great shot by Ghana’s Baba Rahman into the roof of the net was cancelled out by VAR on the 41st minute. Meanwhile, PAOK managed to take the lead just before the break thanks to an unfortunate own goal in the added time’s fifth minute. Cleary, attempting to clear Zivkovic’s arched cross, inadvertently guided it into Pohl’s top left corner with a diving header.
Right after the break, another error resulted in PAOK increasing their lead via Zivkovic’s smart play. He provided Taison with the chance to strike a spiralling shot over Pohls that doubled their lead. Taison had another opportunity to add a third goal but missed by overshooting.
Rovers hit another low on 52 minutes when Honohan, already cautioned for time-wasting, was shown a yellow card for tackling PAOK’s captain Stefan Schwab, resulting in him being sent off the field. At 67 minutes, more disastrous defending virtually ended the game. A poor clearance by Lopes ricocheted off PAOK’s substitute Fyodor Chalov, then Cleary, and finally fell to Konstantelias who skilfully curled it into the net.
Even a penalty save by Pohls in the 93rd minute didn’t prevent a disaster. Although Chalov failed to score on the rebound by hitting the post, Baba did secure a fourth goal for PAOK two minutes later, capitalising on Pohls’ parry of Chalov’s header by driving in the rebound.
In the PAOK squad, Kotarski was in goal; with Jonny (replaced by Sastre in the 80th minute), Kedziora, Koulierakis, and Baba in defence. The mid-field consisted of Ozdoev, Schwab (replaced by Camara in the 80th minute), Zivkovic (replaced by Despodov in the 80th minute), Konstantelias (replaced by Murg in the 80th minute), and Taison; while the striker was Brandon (replaced by Chalov in the 64th minute).
As for Shamrock Rovers, Pohls was their goalkeeper; Hoare, Cleary, and Grace made up the defence; whereas the midfield included Honohan, Watts (replaced by Byrne in the 73rd minute), O’Neill, Nugent (substituted by McEneff in the 73rd minute), and Clarke (replaced by Lopes in the 27th minute). The attack was led by Farrugia (substituted by Burke in the 84th minute) and Greene (replaced by Mandroiu in the 73rd minute).
The match was officiated by the referee Enea Jorgji hailing from Albania.