Europa Conference League roundup: PAOK overcome deficit to crush Dinamo Zagreb to progress
Having been dealt a massive blow in the first leg, as Dinamo put an end to their 13-game unbeaten streak in Europe, PAOK directed their efforts to overturn the tie with great conviction.
And after eight attempts on Ivan Nevistić’s goal inside the half’s midway mark, the onslaught eventually paid dividends, not once, but thrice in quick succession.
Konstantinos Koulierakis first fed Abdul Rahman Baba with a headed pass, prompting the Ghanian to leap like a salmon to net the opener from point-blank range, before the young Greek prodigy let fly a thunderbolt, which took a huge deflection off Petar Sucic and found its way past Nevistic’s extended arm.
If the equaliser wasn’t enough to bewitch the home crowd, Brandon Thomas soon wrecked Dinamo beyond belief, as he got onto the end of Koulierakis’ cross and headed into the far corner to complete a stunning 3-0 comeback before the interval.
It didn’t take long for the narrative to take yet another twist though, with Sergej Jakirovic’s men getting back on track after the restart with their first attempt on target via Arber Hoxha, who beat Dominik Kotarski with a clinical first-time finish from a tight angle.
Perhaps sensing the need to shake things up, Razvan Lucescu introduced Kiril Despodov for an attacking boost, although it was still Koulierakis remained the protagonist with a fourth for his side following an opportunistic finish from close range.
With the momentum back in PAOK’s favour, they valiantly held on to make it an eighth home victory in 12 UECL games and marched into only their third European quarter-finals, but not before Andrija Zivkovic made it five on the night with a confident penalty into the bottom corner after Sandro Kulenovic’s cynical foul in the area.
Meanwhile, Dinamo’s European story this campaign couldn’t have seen a more miserable ending, as despite winning all five European ties to date by a 2-0 scoreline in the first leg, they ultimately succumbed to yet another winless game in Greece, where they have not tasted victory since 1977.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Konstantinos Koulierakis (PAOK)
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Other results from 18:45 CET kick-offs:
Click on the match link to read the full report from the last 16 ties.
Fenerbahce 0 Royale Union SG 1 (3-1 on aggregate)
Fiorentina 1 Maccabi Haifa 1 (5-4 on aggregate)
Viktoria Plzen 0 Servette 0 AET (0-0 on aggregate, Plzen win 3-1 on penalties)