The visitors tried to surprise the home side in the first few minutes by pushing high up the pitch, attempting to pinch possession at every opportunity and threaten. The first half ended without many opportunities for either side, with Chuba Akpom’s 26th-minute shot that was saved well by opposing goalkeeper Roef the main highlight.
In the second half, PAOK came out stronger and looked to take the lead. The hosts had two good chances with a shot by Lefteris Lyratzis and a header by Akpom, before Kurtic finally broke the deadlock in the 58th minute. The opposing coach had marked Kurtic out for special attention from the beginning and manahed – by and large – to take him out of the game. And so PAOK got what they wanted from the first leg, an advantage to protect in view of the second leg in seven days. Things may be tougher for PAOK in that match, since Kurtic and A. Zivkovic will miss the game through suspension after both players were booked in this match and reached their yellow card limits.
PAOK - GENT 1:0 (0:0)
1:0 Kurtic 58'
PAOK: Paschalakis, Lyratzis, Ingason, Crespo, Vieirinha (80′ Sidcley), Tsingaras, Kurtic (80′ Schwab), A. Zivkovic (86′ Murg), Augusto, Biseswar (71′ El Kaddouri), Akpom (86′ Colak)
Gent: Roef, Okumu (46′ Torunariga), Engado, Hansen-Olsen, Samuis, De Sar, Kams, Castro, Ofoe, Hülsager (82′ Tissoudali), Depoitre
text source : paok.gr