Red Star dispatch PAOK to set up encounter with Zenit
Red Star Belgrade’s run in the
Europa League looks like it is never going to end, after they pulled off another great result against
PAOK, beating the
Greek side, 4-2 on aggregate. This win signals another upset which the
Serbian side has caused in this competition, and, from being massive outsiders to win the competition on its start, more and more people are considering them as real trophy contenders as they continue to get very good results against large teams. They will have to pull off yet another one of those results if they are to progress even further though, after they were drawn against massive heavyweights
Zenit in the next round.
The first leg was very tight, with both sides having a limited amount of chances in the early periods of the game. While PAOK held more of the possession, the game was very stop-start, with lots of fouls and stoppages. Red Star didn’t look very troubled defensively, but were unable to get as far up the pitch as they would have liked. The best chance of the half was when
Nasiopoulos cross swerved the wrong way and hit the crossbar, before it was cleared away. As the two sides went into the break, neither would be happy with the result, with PAOK trying to get the all-important away goal, while Red Star had hoped to build up an advantage for the 2nd leg. In the 2nd half though, the Serbian side looked more dangerous, with good flowing moves, one of which came very close, after
Onyilo laid off the ball to
Kasalica, whose shot was narrowly wide. PAOK struggled to keep up with their opponent’s new found energy and spirit, as they were pegged back, now with the intention of just trying to hold on for the draw. However, that was not to be the case, after
Ninkovic played a clever pass to split open the defence, leaving Onyilo one on one, and the striker, after moving it onto his left foot, struck a sweet shot into the corner in the 80th minute. PAOK tried to come back, but their attacks were weak and futile, making it very easy for the Red Star defence to deal with, and at the end of the match, Red Star had a 1-0 lead to take with them to
Greece.
The 2nd leg was much more action packed and goal filled than the first, as both sides gave it their all to try and make it into the next round. After an equal opening 20 minutes, Red Star winer,
Nejc Pecnik switched the play to Onyilo, who hit a half volley which found the back of the net to give his side the crucial away goal which PAOK had failed to get, meaning they would now have to score 3 times to win the match. This huge task did not put them off however, and 9 minutes later, a quick attack found its way to
Sotiris Ninis inside the box, and the attacking midfielder made no mistake, hitting a carefully placed shot past goalkeeper
Bajkovic to level the score on the night. Red Star, desperate not to lose their advantage, went on the attack, and after a couple of good chances, just before half time, a slip up from
Miguel Vitor led to Filip Kasalica being set through, and he scored a powerful effort to regain his side’s 3 goal aggregate cushion. After the break, PAOK still showed no signs of giving up, pushing immediately from the whistle, and this paid off in the 47th minute when
Inigo Lopez beat
Miguel Araujo to the ball from a corner, and headed the ball past Bajkovic into the back of the net. The Greek side decided to go big, and threw everyone forward in a frenzy, trying to get the two goals they needed. However, all their attacks left big gaps in their defence, and a counter attack from Red Star found its way to Onyilo who applied a simple finish to score the goal which would ultimately end PAOK’s run in the competition. They were unable to recover from this goal, and as many fans left the stadium early, their spirits dropped. The match ended 3-2 to Red Star on the night, and
4-2 to the Serbian side on aggregate, setting up their encounter with Russian giants Zenit.
TRAITOR!
