Article by Aurelian Botezatu – Published Friday, February 27, 2026, 07:42 / Updated Friday, February 27, 2026 07:44
PAOK, the team trained by Răzvan Lucescu, was eliminated by Celta in the play-off for the “eighties”. Ionuț Radu was among the Spaniards' goals in the return from Balaidos (1-0, in the round 2-1), but he had nothing to defend.
As quiet as Thursday night was for Ionuț Radu, PAOK's exit from the Europa League was as bitter. Tired and lacking several key players, injured, the formation coached by Răzvan Lucescu proved to be easy prey for the Iberians, in a return in which the goalkeeper of the Romanian national team effectively failed.
Răzvan Lucescu: “I feel only pride for this team”
After the final whistle, Lucescu jr did not reproach his players for anything. On the contrary. He went to the locker room and, according to Gazzetta.gr, gave them a small speech. “We played with big teams, from France, Spain, we played great games and there is only pride for this team. Now we think about the championship, we also have the cup final, and we continue…“, the Romanian technician told them.
Then, in front of the cameras, he admitted that his team could have gone further in the competition if they had not dropped points at home in some “winnable” games, such as those against Maccabi Tel Aviv and Brann Bergen.
Răzvan Lucescu: “We lost points in matches that could have taken us higher”
“We had a difficult schedule in the Europa League. We played against two Spanish teams, two French teams. We played well. We were eliminated because we dropped points in games that could have taken us higher.
With Maccabi Tel Aviv, in the first match at Toumba, with Brann, also at home, with Ludogorets, away“, Răzvan told ANT1, before referring to Thursday night's match, in which he was missing several important players: “I had a lot of absences, especially in midfield.
My players fought, I'm proud of the kids. They made a great effort. There were some of them who performed in positions other than the ones they play and gave 100 percent. They gave everything, they ran a lot, additional pressure was created, thanks to the new positions they played.
Another element is that we had a formation in front that knows how to move the ball, to make you run. When you're not playing your natural position, it makes you run even harder“.
15 millionof euros collected by PAOK from the UEFA awards for the Europa League 2025 – 2026
