On Thursday, July 30, PAOK hosted Dynamo Kyiv in Thessaloniki for the second leg of the UEFA Europa League second qualifying round. Following the first leg in Lublin a week earlier, the Greek side held a 3-2 advantage in the tie.
Compared to the first meeting, PAOK made just one change to their starting lineup, and it was a forced one. Swedish striker Ali, who had been injured in the 14th minute of the first leg, was replaced by former Shakhtar winger Taison.
Dynamo, meanwhile, made six changes to the starting XI, while two other players switched positions. Viacheslav Surkis started in goal, making his senior European debut. The entire back line was reshuffled, with Taras Mykhavko moving to left-back, Tomasz Kędziora partnering Aliou Tiare in central defence, and Oleksii Sych making his competitive debut at right-back.
In midfield, Vitalii Buialskyi and Justin Lonwijk replaced Oleksandr Pikhalyonok and Mykola Shaparenko, while Bohdan Redushko started on the left wing instead of Eduardo Guerrero.
Unlike the first leg, the match in Greece began cautiously, with neither side looking to force the tempo. The opening stages were dominated by physical battles and frequent fouls, with referee Damian Sylwestrzak making it clear from the outset that even minor infringements would be punished.
The first half produced few clear-cut chances. Dynamo's best move saw Ponomarenko initiate the attack, Voloshyn provide the cross, and Redushko head the ball on target. It proved to be Dynamo's only shot on target before the break. PAOK tested Surkis four times in the first half, and their final effort, deep into stoppage time, broke the deadlock. Dynamo players stopped, expecting a foul to be awarded in their favour, allowing Giannis Konstantelias to receive the ball just outside the penalty area and curl a superb shot into the far corner to make it 1:0.
The Greek midfielder doubled the lead immediately after the restart. Collecting the ball around 30 metres from goal, slightly left of centre, Konstantelias accelerated, cut inside past several defenders, and fired a precise low strike from the edge of the box into the bottom corner to make it 2:0.
Midway through the second half, both teams threatened from direct free-kicks. Pavlenka denied Volodymyr Brazhko, while Surkis produced an excellent save to keep out Michailidis. Soon after, Brazhko came close again from open play, only to see his effort strike the post.
Late in the game, Dynamo handed another debut to 18-year-old Pierre Mungenge, a product of the Paris Saint-Germain academy. The match also marked the return of Vladyslav Kabaiev after a lengthy injury layoff.
Despite Dynamo's efforts to get back into the game, PAOK kept a clean sheet and advanced to the next round. Ihor Kostiuk's side will now continue their European campaign in the UEFA Conference League, where they will face Azerbaijani side Qarabag in the third qualifying round next week.
UEFA Europa League, Second qualifying round, second leg
PAOK (Thessaloniki, Greece) - Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine) - 2:0 (First leg: 3-2)
PAOK: Pavlenka – Kenny, Chatzidiakos (Elustondo, 76), Michailidis, Jonathan Gomez – Santamaria, Zafeiris (Kamara, 76), Konstantelias (Pelkas, 83), Živković (c) (Baba, 76), Taison (Chatsidis, 69) – Mythu.
Dynamo Kyiv: Surkis – Sych, Kędziora, Thiare (Bilovar 86), Mykhavko – Brazhko, Lonwijk (Mounguengue, 86), Buialskyi (c) (Shaparenko, 67), Redushko (Kabaiev, 80), Voloshyn (Yarmolenko, 67) – Ponomarenko.
Goals: Konstantelias (45+1, 48).
Bookings: Chatzidiakos (35) – Ponomarenko (50), Shaparenko (78).
