Article by Cosmin Nistor – Published Sunday, April 26, 2026, 6:37 p.m. / Updated Sunday, April 26, 2026, 6:39 p.m.
PAOK Thessaloniki lost the final of the Greek Cup on Saturday evening, 2-3 with OFI Creta after 120 minutes of play, and the Greek media extensively analyzed the situation of the team coached by the Romanian technician.
In this context, the formation from Thessaloniki remains with a mixed season: Răzvan Lucescu has 4 trophies won with PAOK – two Cups (2017/18 and 2018/19) and two championship titles (2018/19 and 2023/24). In the championship, the current objective is to finish second, occupied by Olympiacos, while AEK Athens has moved away at the top of the standings.
Greek press, announcement about Răzvan Lucescu: “He will have to admit his mistakes”
The Greeks from sportdog.gr wrote after the failure suffered by the team coached by the Romanian, describing the tense atmosphere after the final and the reactions in the club. According to the publication, the defeat generated a wave of discontent and puts pressure on the management and staff. The situation at PAOK Thessaloniki is analyzed in detail in the context of the end of the season.
“Răzvan Lucescu was shocked after PAOK Thessaloniki lost the Greek Cup to OFI Creta, who prevailed in extra time at Panthessaliko. The coach could not hide his emotions a few seconds after the end of the match, sitting alone on the bench, almost in tears and visibly shocked.
Lucescu wanted more than anything to end this year of PAOK's 100th centenary with a trophy. He himself believed, and rightly so, that his team could achieve the event. This was considered normal two months ago. However, the “black and white” lost the fight for the championship, and on Saturday night they were defeated by OFI, in a surprise in the final of the Cup.
The double disappointment generated numerous reactions among the supporters, and soon an intervention is expected from Ivan Savvidis, who supported the team both financially and through his return to Greece and direct contact with the players.
As for tomorrow, for now there is confidence from the management in the Romanian coach, however failure will not go… quietly. There will be massive changes in the squad, and discussions will take place at the highest level with Lucescu, who will have to own up to his own mistakes.
At the same time, there are reports that the Romanian is very worried about the team's image and the way the season ended. The pressure on him is high, and this makes him already think about next season, even if he is under contract.”
Psychology plays a role. We were in the lead, we had opportunities, but after 1-1, we lost our confidence, the way we were playing. We lost our energy. I came back after 1-2, after something that wasn't football. I can say that I took a step back again, because the 2-3 goal was a gift.
It is a harsh reality. When something goes wrong, we lose everything, forget to play. Then it's hard for us to recover. It's a very bad time for us, for me. I try to explain it in the simplest way, but we lost the Cup. It mattered a lot– Răzvan Lucescu, after the lost final
