Top team PAOK was in trouble for 45 minutes. However, HJK’s leadership crumbled, and eurotaival started with a loss.
One shot could have changed a lot. The entire Töölö stadium held its breath for a good second. Then there was a deep sigh.
with Bojan Radulovic had a chance to put the ball in the goal at the end of his drive. If it had gone, HJK would have already led 2–0 in the 50th minute.
The ball hit the post and bounced out.
– Quite a cliché for this: Small margins mattered. It’s a shame, of course, that it didn’t go in, head coach Toni Korkeakunnas spun around.
After that, the difficulties started. They dramatically changed the beginning of the Club’s struggle in the Conference League group stage.
Bojan Radulovic had a chance to give HJK a 2–0 lead. The shot hit the post. Jussi Eskola
PAOK, who were trailing badly in the opening period, pressed even harder and forced the home team to lose their form.
Soon Konstantinos Koulierakis headed the sidekick into HJK’s net and leveled the score at 1–1.
Greece is hot
In the opening period, everything seemed to be in HJK’s hands.
It punished PAOK’s brave press and was able to advance even past two lines with one pass, which opened up spaces to advance into the attacking third.
Hassane Bandé thanked Korkeakunna for the place of the opening by pushing by Lucas Lingman corner kick into the goal at just over half an hour.
– The first half was an excellent success. I’m really satisfied with how we implemented our game plan and boldly went to attack and not to attack, Korkeakunnas beamed.
Greek reporters said after the match that the first 45 minutes was one of the worst they have seen from a Greek club.
– Football is football. We cannot always influence the dynamics of the game. Our players should believe in our plan throughout the game. HJK started well, I think so did we, the poker-faced PAOK pilot Razvan Lucescu answered.
Weird goal
Jesse Öst didn’t have time to save the 1-2 back combination. Jussi Eskola
When the clock struck the 81st minute, the entire HJK stopped to watch the ball.
PAOK too Kirill Despodov luckily hit the center in the box. The ball bounced in with a miraculous twist – even through the post.
HJK’s goal was already substituted at the beginning of the match Jesse Öst remained the attacker Brandon’s behind the mask he made and didn’t have time to react to the pull.
Öst and the entire HJK protested the goal, because they thought Brandon had disturbed Öst in the offside. A VAR review proved that Joona Toivio was below Brandon though.
– I won’t take that goal to heart. Maybe I shouldn’t have reacted so much to the player in front of me – neither me nor the others. Nothing can be done about it anymore, Öst lamented.
Kiri froze
This drive-through situation turned out to be a turning point. Jussi Eskola
HJK had to increase the gas, but the tight phase was hampered by the bumps that came during the game.
– We had to fight almost at the end, the HJK head coach said.
PAOK cut off Klubi’s promising counterattack and finished 3–1 in extra time.
Extra time was already nine minutes behind, when the VAR check brought HJK a penalty kick. However, Radulovic’s 2-3 reduction came too late.
– There were bad phases in the second period. Maybe we didn’t deserve a win in the end, Korkeakunnas reflected.
More than 8,500 spectators filled the stands of Töölö Stadium. The atmosphere was great, because hundreds of PAOK supporters who arrived in Helsinki were making noise in the north end.
The spectacular tifo and loud noise of the club end did not erase the disappointment after the final whistle.
There was more to take.