PAOK claimed a narrow victory over Atromitos in the third round of the Greek Cup, winning 1-0 at the home of their opponents on Tuesday evening. The result sends the visitors through to the next stage, while Atromitos must now refocus on their league campaign.
And here's the thing — the match was decided by a single moment. A. Mythou found the net in the twentieth minute, and that proved to be enough. PAOK had already beaten Atromitos 2-1 away on 30 August, so they knew what was required when the teams met again.
After the goal the game settled into a pattern. S. Pnevmonidis picked up a yellow card in the twenty-eighth minute, and J. Perea followed suit in the seventy-first. Atromitos had to chase the game and that showed in their approach.
By then the home side had thrown everything forward. They made seven substitutions — L. Lyratzis, S. Zuber, O. Ugresic, M. Camara, A. Elustondo, S. Serginho and T. Ali — while PAOK brought on only two players in A. Mythou and A. Karamanis. The visitors were happy to see out the ninety minutes.
Atromitos have not lost much recently, drawing twice and winning once in their last five matches, but they needed to convert their advantage. They had already scored in each of those three games, yet against a side that had just beaten them they could not find the breakthrough.
PAOK's away record in recent weeks has been mixed — a win against Aris, a defeat to Panathinaikos, and a goalless draw with OFI — so this cup victory gives them something to build on. Atromitos now turn their attention back to the league, where one defeat to Olympiacos remains a reminder of what happens when chances go begging.
