Club Brugge cruise past PAOK and into Conference League semi-finals
Looking to silence a raucous home crowd, the Belgians wasted a marvellous chance in the opening moments, as Ferran Jutgla raced clear and only had the goalkeeper to beat, but he inexplicably tried to pass and gifted the ball to the grateful home defence instead.
The Spaniard then wasted another huge chance when he was picked out at the far post by Michal Skoras. However, his perseverance would finally pay off just after the half-hour mark.
Kyriani Sabbe raced clear down the right, and his inch-perfect cross teased PAOK goalkeeper Dominik Kotarski, who couldn’t quite reach it. That left Jutgla the simple task of tapping into the empty net for his first-ever European goal.
That opening goal dampened the spirits of the home crowd, but an eerie silence took hold of Toumba Stadium just before the break, as a VAR check took over three minutes to come to a decision on an offside check.
In the lead up, Skoras raced clear before seeing his shot parried into the path of Jutgla, who smashed it home. However, the goal was eventually awarded to put Club Brugge 3-0 up in the tie and firmly on course for a glamorous semi-final with Fiorentina.
The hosts struggled to get back into the game immediately after half-time, although they appeared to be given a lifeline just after the hour mark when Kiril Despodov was hauled down by Eder Alvarez Balanta in the area.
Another VAR review followed though, and showed that the Bulgarian was offside in the build-up, destroying PAOK’s fleeting hopes of finally sparking a fightback.
In the final minutes, the game was reduced to a walking pace, as the hosts looked defeated and Brugge were happy to keep possession and manage the game.
PAOK did dominate possession, but their delivery from the wide positions failed to test the Brugge defence, as Nicky Hayen’s side eased into the semis.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Ferran Jutgla (Club Brugge)