PAOK and OFI held goalless in the rain at Toumba

PAOK and OFI met again after last season’s Greek Cup final, but their latest encounter produced no goals. The teams opened their Superbet Greek Cup League Phase campaigns with a 0-0 draw at Toumba.

PAOK started more strongly and new signing Ugnjen Ugrešić made an immediate impression on his debut. The Serbian midfielder threatened twice in the first half, while Zivkovic was denied by OFI goalkeeper Christogeorgos in the 27th minute. Santamaria left injured in the 38th minute and was replaced by Shoretire.

Shoretire later found the net shortly before halftime, but the goal was disallowed after Mythos was judged to have committed a foul on the OFI goalkeeper. PAOK continued to create the more dangerous openings, yet Christogeorgos remained the main obstacle and produced further important saves to keep out Mythos.

The second half began around 10 minutes late because of heavy rain and the poor condition of the pitch. PAOK pressed for a winning goal until the final stages, but could not find one. The hosts were then reduced to 10 men when Greg Taylor received a direct red card for a dangerous challenge. Both teams took one point from the opening round.