Michailidis Wins It Late as PAOK Beat Iraklis 2-1 in VAR Storm

By Taki Panos

Toumba wanted a reaction, and it got about five of them in one night. PAOK came from behind to beat Iraklis 2-1 in the Thessaloniki derby on Sunday, October 18, in the seventh round of the Stoiximan Super League, with Giannis Michailidis heading in the winner in stoppage time, as Gazzetta, Sport24 and SDNA reported. Along the way, VAR ruled out two Iraklis goals, overturned a PAOK penalty and helped send off an Iraklis defender. Calm it was not.

For readers who are new to this rivalry, PAOK and Iraklis are two of the oldest clubs in Thessaloniki, and Iraklis are nicknamed "Gireos", the Old Man. PAOK, the club of the black and white double-headed eagle, came into the night under real pressure after Kalamata stunned them 3-1 at Toumba a week earlier, SDNA and Gazzetta noted. Iraklis, coached by veteran Italian Walter Mazzarri, arrived with a compact back three.

PAOK coach Alessio Lisci made a few notable choices. Goalkeeper Dimitris Monastirlis made his first Super League start, Dimitris Pelkas was out injured, and left back Giannoulis returned to the lineup, per Gazzetta and SDNA. PAOK pushed early. Andrija Zivkovic fired just wide in the fifth minute and Ognjen Ugresic missed a free header a minute later, Gazzetta and Sport24 both described. Monastirlis had to save from Nanou in the 36th minute, and it was 0-0 at the break.

The second half opened with a punch to the stomach for the home crowd. In the 49th minute, Giannoulis tried to keep a loose ball alive near his own box, Soria won it, and Portuguese striker Pedro Marques finished from close range for 0-1, as Gazzetta, SDNA and Sport24 reported. Lisci reacted straight away, sending on Simon Banza for Kristian Jakic in the 53rd minute and switching to two strikers, per Gazzetta and Sport24. It was a brave call.

First, though, came the night's opening controversy. Around the hour mark, Marques bundled in a second goal from a corner, but referee Vasilis Fotias was called to the monitor and ruled it out for an attacking foul by Iraklis defender Ros on Kenny in the build up, as Sport24, in.gr and SDNA reported. Less than two minutes later, PAOK were level. Zivkovic curled in a cross from the right and Banza headed home for 1-1, his first goal in a PAOK shirt, Gazzetta and Sport24 both noted.

PAOK then pressed for the lead. Iraklis goalkeeper Athanasiadis stopped Banza in the 66th minute, per Gazzetta and SDNA. Then came twist number two. Around the 76th minute, Athanasiadis parried a shot from Christos Zafeiris and collided with Cherif Ndiaye, and Fotias pointed to the spot. After a long VAR check, he reversed the call and gave offside against Ndiaye at the start of the move, as Gazzetta, Sport24 and in.gr all described.

The biggest storm came in the 84th minute. Nanou went on a superb solo run and beat Monastirlis from outside the box for what looked like 1-2, as Sport24 and SDNA reported. VAR official Panagiotis Koukoulas called Fotias back to the screen to look at the start of the attack, and the referee ruled that Ros had fouled Zafeiris at the other end. The goal was cancelled, PAOK got a free kick and Ros was sent off with a second yellow card, per Gazzetta, Sport24 and in.gr.

From that very free kick, in stoppage time, Zivkovic picked out Michailidis at the back post and the Greek center back headed in the winner, as Gazzetta, Sport24 and SDNA reported. That gave Zivkovic two assists on the night, SDNA's player ratings pointed out. Iraklis still had one last chance in the seventh minute of stoppage time, but Monastirlis made a big save on Tsaklas to protect the lead, Gazzetta and SDNA both noted. It was PAOK's first home comeback win of the season, per SDNA.

Mazzarri was furious. After the second PAOK goal he started to walk away from the bench and his own staff had to hold him back, Gazzetta, in.gr and SDNA reported. He did not appear for his press duties afterwards and sent his assistant Eugenio Sena instead. "The coach is very angry. In a career of 45 years he has never encountered anything like today's game," Sena said (translated from Greek), per SDNA, adding that Mazzarri was losing his desire to coach in Greece and would prefer to go back to Italy.

The Iraklis players were just as unhappy. "What can I say about the referees? Even talking about them gives them importance," defender Praxitelis Vouros said (translated from Greek), per in.gr. "I want to win a local derby fairly, so I can go out in the street tomorrow with my head high," he added (translated from Greek). The club then posted "80 11 17" on social media, which Gazzetta explained refers to 1980, 2011 and 2017, three seasons when Iraklis were sent down by decisions made away from the pitch. in.gr went as far as calling it a coup at Toumba in its headline.

Lisci, for his part, was honest about the performance. "We did not play fantastic football, but we won against a good team," he said (translated from Greek), per SDNA. He explained that after the Kalamata loss his players were clearly under pressure, and that the longer you go without scoring, the more anxious you get. "We managed to win a chaotic game with a lot of VAR," he added (translated from Greek), and he called Zivkovic a fantastic player who keeps showing how important he is, according to SDNA.

My take: I will leave the refereeing verdicts to the experts with the slow motion replays, but three on field reviews in one derby, some of them very long, is not a good look for anyone. PAOK deserve credit for reacting after going behind, and Banza looks like a real weapon next to Ndiaye. Iraklis played with courage and left Toumba feeling robbed, and that anger will fuel them for weeks.

The table rewards PAOK, who climb to third with 15 points behind Panathinaikos on 18 and Olympiacos on 16, with AEK still to play Atromitos in Peristeri, as Sport24 and Gazzetta reported. Next weekend, PAOK travel to Crete to face OFI and Iraklis host Kifisia, per Sport24. Keep an eye on our Greek Sports section for more from the Super League and beyond. One derby, three VAR reviews, and a city that will be arguing about it all week.

Sources: Gazzetta, Sport24, SDNA, in.gr.

Image: White and black flag with a double-headed eagle in PAOK colors by Sportingn, cropped, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).