PAOK defeated Aris Thessaloniki 2-0 in a Super League 1 fixture at the Tumba Stadium on the evening of September thirteenth. The Thessaloniki derby finished with a narrow margin, though the hosts controlled the decisive moments. Both sides entered the match having played four league games, with PAOK sitting second on nine points and Aris seventh on six.
The tone was set early when Jonjoe Kenny picked up a yellow card after just three minutes. Things tightened further around the twentieth minute, when Christos Zafeiris and Tino Kadewere both went into the book. By then, PAOK had already worked themselves into a penalty situation through VAR intervention.
Cherif Ndiaye stepped up in the thirty-second minute to convert the spot-kick and open the scoring. Andrija Živković added a second just before half-time in the forty-second minute, and that was enough to see out the contest. Aris tried to respond but could not find the net, while PAOK's keeper made three saves to keep a clean sheet.
PAOK had possession of the ball less than half the time at 46 per cent, yet they created four big chances compared to Aris's two. The hosts landed five shots on target from eight attempts inside the area, giving them a 38 per cent accuracy rate. Aris enjoyed 54 per cent possession but could only manage three shots on target from eleven attempts inside the penalty area.
The result moves PAOK further clear of the mid-table pack, while Aris remain in the lower half with two defeats from four league outings. Both clubs had mixed runs going into this fixture, with PAOK losing 1-3 to Panathinaikos last weekend and Aris drawing 1-1 with Asteras Tripoli.