Article by Aurelian Botezatu – Published on Thursday, 05 February 2026, 08:08 / Updated on Thursday, 05 February 2026 08:09
PAOK beat Panathinaikos 1-0 in the first leg of the Greek Cup semi-finals, but coach Răzvan Lucescu is tempering the fans' euphoria.
The only goal of the game in Athens was scored by Giakoumakis, in the 66th minute, from the penalty spot, but PAOK could win more clearly at Panathinaikos' ground. She is the favorite to qualify for the final, but coach Răzvan Lucescu wants to keep his team in the lead for the return next Wednesday (February 11).
Răzvan Lucescu: “We must be responsible on the field to achieve our goal”
After the final whistle, he said “it was just the first 90 minutes of a double battle. I think the result is fair, maybe the score could have been higher given the chances we had in the first half.
In the second half, it got a little weirder with the long balls, but the kids responded to every challenge on the field. They had a fighting spirit in all phases”.
After that, Lucescu junior came back and put the dot on the “i”: “Now, the first half is over. Nothing has been decided. We have the advantage before the second leg at Toumba, in front of our fans, in a fantastic atmospherebut, in any case, we must be responsible on the ground to achieve our goal”.
Rafa Benitez does not give up the fight: “We are going to Thessaloniki to win”
However, Panathinaikos is not giving up the fight. His coach, Rafa Benitez, was as clear as can be. “In the first half, the opponent had more chances than us and this was due to our own mistakes, which we could have avoided.
In the second half, although we started better, there was a penalty that I cannot understand and in the end that was where the game was decided. Now we have to go to Thessaloniki and win,” commented the renowned Spanish technician.
