PAOK FC (1) 2
[Lazar 12' Vierinha 63']

Rovers (0) 1 
[Sheppard 47'] 
             

Hoops Line out
16 Ryan Thompson
2 Pat Sullivan  
3 Enda Stevens
17 Ken Oman
5 Dan Murray (c)
6 Stephen Rice
8 Stephen O'Donnell
26 Jim Paterson
20 Billy Dennehy
18 Chris Turner  
10 Karl Sheppard

Substitutes

21 Ronan Finn
for Paterson 74'
11 Ciaran Kilduff
for Turner 74'
7 Gary McCabe for Sheppard 84'
4 Craig Sives
22 Conor McCormack
27 Rohan Ricketts
1 Richard Brush


 

Rovers put in a fine display in Greece and deserved to take a point but it was PAOK who won the game with two fine strikes after Karl Sheppard had equalised for Rovers just after half-time.

A great atmosphere in the Toumba stadium saw the home side start well with Enda Stevens needed to deny Athanasiadis in the box with a fine tackle in the 3rd minute. Vierinho then got behind the Hoops defence from a long ball but couldn't get a shot on goal.

Karl Sheppard forced 'keeper Chalkias to race from his goal to clear after 7 minutes but the Hoops went behind when Sullivan deflected Vierinho's shot from a corner and from the kick Dan Murray's clearance fell for Lazar 25 yards out and his shot flew into the net past Thompson. 

Rovers held their nerve after the concession of the goal and on 17 minutes a good move saw Billy Dennehy cross into the area but Rice couldn’t make a connection. Two minutes later the Kerry man ran at the PAOK defence and his shot from 25 yards wasn’t far wide.

An Enda Stevens free-kick on 21 minutes saw Chalkias weakly punch the ball away but Rovers couldn’t take advantage.

The Hoops had a let-off in the 22nd minute when Dan Murray’s headed clearance fell nicely for a PAOK striker but Murray atoned for the error to block his shot in front of goal.

On 27 minutes Dennehy again attacked down the right and he beat a defender to send the ball across goal but Paterson was beaten by a defender to the ball. Three minutes later Dan Murray had to defend a low cross in front of goal.

Vierinha volleyed over the bar for the home side when well placed in the box. On 34 minutes Paterson curled a cross on goal from the left but Dennehy couldn’t connect at the far post.

A minute later Murray again cut out a cross this time from Salpi and Ken Oman completed the clearance from the resulting corner. The home side finished the half strongly with Ivic shooting over the bar from inside the area under pressure from Oman and in added-on time Vierinha fired in a free-kick that an alert Thompson dived to push away.

Just After half-time Vierinha tested Thompson but this time the Hoops Jamaican ’keeper saved the shot from the Portuguese striker.

On 47 minutes some brilliant work by Dennehy forced Cirillo to hack him down and from the free-kick on the right-hand side of the area Dennehy clipped the ball into the box for Karl Sheppard to head forcefully into the net.

Rovers began to boss the game and hold on to the ball a little better as the goal injected confidence right throughout the team. After 56 minutes O’Donnell and Dennehy combined for Sullivan to cross low into the box but ’keeper Chalkias got down low to save.

Just after the hour Vierinha tried his luck from distance but his shot went well over the bar however just two minutes later the same player exploited space in front of the Hoops defence to run at the Hoops box and unleash a fierce drive past the dive of Thompson and into the net.

It was a cruel blow but again Rovers didn’t lose composure and after a fine passing move Stephen O’Donnell found Sheppard in space on the right but two defenders got across to deny him a shot on goal.

On 73 minutes Pat Sullivan blocked a shot for a corner and Ryan Thompson rose to claim the kick well. Good pressure from the home side saw a dangerous ball played into the Hoops box and some fine defending saw O’Donnell block a shot on goal.

Polish full-back Sznaucner then shot across the Hoops goal in the 77th minute before a Dennehy free-kick caused problems in the Greek defence but the ball was eventually cleared.
Rovers pushed men forward in the last ten minutes and a Sullivan free-kick was well taken by the home ‘keeper under pressure from Ken Oman with six minutes remaining. A counter-attack then saw Pat Sullivan put his body on the line to block a shot.

The 4 minutes of added-on time saw Rovers put the home side on the defensive and Sullivan’s high ball into the area almost fell for substitute McCabe but he couldn’t get the ball under control in the box. A last gasp free-kick from Sullivan saw Murray force a corner and although Dennehy’s delivery was good the ’keeper got a fist to the ball to clear and the Referee blew for full-time.