A great result today for PAOK in the Netherlands! The Dikefalos tou Vora played to 1-1 draw in Amsterdam against Ajax for the UEFA Champions League 3rd Qualifying Round. The result gives PAOK the slight advantage for the second leg in Thessaloniki. The opener came from a fantastic goal from Djalma Campos with Ajax equalizing through Dolberg in the second half.
As expected, Ajax took control of the game early and held onto the possession. The hosts created chances on goal with the best opportunity coming in the 19th minute when Riedewald’s shot was denied by the crossbar. PAOK created their first chance in the 22nd minute and 4 minutes later they surprisingly took the lead. Poor judgement from Ajax’s keeper left an open net for Djalma Campos, who brilliantly gave PAOK the 0-1 breakthrough. The goal gave PAOK the lead and more importantly an away goal. One final chance fell to Ajax at the end of the first half, but PAOK took the lead into halftime.
Ajax was the stronger side in the second half with Glykos keeping the hosts off the scoreboard early on. However in the 56th minute, PAOK’s defense gave too much space to Dolberg as he found the equalizer for Ajax. The Danish footballer punished the Greek side with a powerful right footed shot that beat Glykos. Both PAOK and Ajax wasted a good opportunity in the final 30 minutes and neither side could find the back of the net with the match ending in a 1-1 draw.
The 1-1 draw is a good result for the Thessalonikiotes who will look to finish the job in the second leg at home. PAOK will have the slight advantage as a win or 0-0 draw will put them through to the next round. The second leg is scheduled for Tuesday August 2nd at 2:30 PM (EST), 9:30 PM (Greek time).
*Image Source: sdna.gr
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