A night that started badly and got worse
PAOK lost 0–1 to Anderlecht at Toumba on Thursday in the Europa League third qualifying round first leg, and the damage was done inside four minutes. Mihajlo Cvetković scored early for the visitors, and your team never recovered (2). Giannis Michailidis then missed a penalty, summing up a night where nothing went right (2) (3).
The return leg is next week, and it is not over
The result at Toumba stings, but the tie is still alive. PAOK head to Brussels for the second leg with work to do, one goal changes everything. Last season's European run showed this squad can respond away from home.
Anderlecht coach wants Monday matches
After beating PAOK, Anderlecht coach Vitor Bruno turned his attention to domestic scheduling ahead of Sunday's league match against La Louvière. He argued Belgian football should play on Mondays more often. "We have to open that debate, in the interest of our football" (4) (5).
Fan reactions
The mood on Reddit is frustration mixed with defiance. One fan wrote that PAOK "wronged ourselves" but still believes the tie is winnable with better defensive focus and smarter decisions up front. Another was furious with the referee, claiming a legitimate goal was disallowed and a clear penalty ignored. Read the full discussion.
