On 21 September, one of the matches of the Football Conference League took place. HIK (Helsinki) and PAOK (Thessaloniki) met.
Conference League
HIK (Helsinki ) - PAOK (Thessaloniki) - 2:3 (1:0)
Goals: H. Bande (36), B. Radoudouk (36), B. Radoudouk (36), B. K. Kouk (36). Bande (36), B. Radulovic (90+9) - Konstantinos Koulierakis (55), Despodov (81), Brandon Thomas (90+4).
Warnings: Hetemaj (61), A. R. Baba (64).
In a thrilling UEFA Europa Conference League encounter, Finnish club HEC Helsinki faced Greek side PAOK at the Bolt Arena. The match was full of excitement, with both teams demonstrating their skills on the pitch, giving the fans an unforgettable experience. The first half started with HEC Helsinki taking the lead. In the 13th minute Helsinki made a substitution, releasing N. Maenpaa instead of J. Osta. Maenpaa instead of J. Osta. The substitution was effective as Heik Helsinki continued to dominate the game. In the 36th minute, H. Bande scored a fantastic goal, increasing their lead to 1-0. However, things changed in the second half as PAOK started to fight back strongly. In the 55th minute, PAOK's K. Koulierakis scored a goal, levelling the score against HEC Helsinki. The match became increasingly tense, with both teams fighting for control. In the 61st minute, HEC Helsinki received a yellow card and P. Hetemaj was cautioned. Moments later, Helsinki made a second substitution, with P. Hetemai replacing A. Tanaka. The team continued to make changes, introducing N. Hamalainen instead of T. Keskinen in the 62nd minute. In addition, H. Bande was replaced by K. Kuassivi-Benissan.
PAOK also contributed to the game: A.R. Baba received a yellow card in the 64th minute. In the 67th minute, PAOK made the first substitution, replacing Taison with A. Zivkovic. Zivkovic. Soon another substitution followed - T. Tsingaras replaced M. Ozdoyev. In the course of the match both teams made one more substitution to freshen up the game. In the 75th minute PAOK introduced T. Murga instead of G. Konstantelias and M. Samatta instead of B. Thomas. Helsinki HEC made the last substitution: in the 76th minute G. Kanellopoulos came on in place of A. Paananen. Nine minutes before the end of the match PAOK equalised thanks to a goal by K. Despodov, which infuriated their fans. The match took a dramatic turn when PAOK made a fifth substitution: K. Despodov came on in place of Vieirinha in the 85th minute. In the last minutes of the game, PAOK snatched victory thanks to a late goal by B. Thomas in the 90th minute. In the same minute a penalty was awarded to Helsinki, but B. Radulovic failed to convert it and the match ended 2-3 in favour of PAOK. It was an exciting encounter, filled with goals, substitutions and fierce competition. Both teams showed their determination and skill, leaving the fans excited for future fixtures in the UEFA European Conference League.
The following matches await the opponents in the next round: Aberdeen vs HIK and PAOK vs Eintracht.
| HIK | PAOK | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Kicks in the box | 10 |
| 7 | Kicks | 20 |
| 1 | Blocked shots | 1 |
| 6 | Penalty kicks | 14 |
| 1 | Penalty kicks | 6 |
| 12 | Offences | 12 |
| 7 | Corner | 8 |
| 1 | Offsides | 1 |
| 44% | Ball possession | 56% |
| 1 | Yellow cards | 1 |
| 0 | Red cards | 0 |
| 7 | Keeper saves | 2 |
| 391 | Total assists | 496 |
| 306 | Accurate assists | 416 |
| 78% | Accuracy of passes | 84% |