Europa League qualifiers: Shamrock Rovers 0 PAOK 2
Well taken goals midway through the second half from Magomed Ozdoev and Kiril Despodov gave a dominant PAOK no more than they deserved at Tallaght Stadium as Shamrock Rovers never came close to getting the morale boosting win on the night they craved as they duly bowed out of the Europa League qualifiers.
Given the 4-0 deficit from Thessaloniki last week, meaning the tie was all but over, the pressure was off Rovers, so to speak, with the parachute into the new league phase of the Conference League already secured.
Rovers’ European focus is thus now on Friday’s lunchtime draw in Monaco to see which six opponents they will face in UEFA’s third tier competition.
With eight changes from last week’s first leg at the Toumba Stadium, Stephen Bradley gave a European debut to Marc McNulty in attack while Jack Byrne and Aaron McEneff both started alongside 18-year-old Cory O’Sullivan across midfield.
Though the Greek champions made five changes they still had the luxury of fielding ten full internationals from as many countries totalling over 250 caps between them.
And the visitors started where they left off last week, worrying Rovers after five minutes.
A loose Richie Towell pass saw Moroccan Tarik Tissoudali surge forward to set up Despodov with the Bulgarian’s shot turned around a post by Leon Pohls.
Further sloppy play, this time by skipper Roberto Lopes who gifted the ball to Thomas Murg, soon had Rovers in trouble again.
Pohls had to excel on the double, first pushing away an angled drive from PAOK captain Andrija Zivkovic before parrying a follow-up shot from Rahman Baba.
Labouring to get any kind of possession, it was the 26th minute before Rovers stretched PAOK, Towell racing in behind on to a Gary O’Neill pass. But they could make nothing of it.
Towell was then the first to see a yellow card for a foul on Tissoudali as Rovers once more lost possession cheaply.
Pohls again came to the rescue to make the save of the half when palming away Despodov’s superb free kick.
Rovers had much more about them on the resumption, getting their first shot on target six minutes in following a booking for Giannis Michailidis for a foul on Darragh Burns.
Though the angle was tight, Sean Kavanagh worked Dominik Kotarski for the first time with the Croatian goalkeeper turning the free kick out for Rovers’ first corner of the game.
That said, Hoops should have been behind minutes later, Tissoudali skying over the top after Despodov set him up.
But there was no such let off on 64 minutes.
Again it stemmed from Rovers giving away possession. Jonny Otto burst forward to set up Zivkovic. Pohls did well to parry, but the ball ran back to the Serb who flicked it into the path of Russian Ozdoev to rifle to the net.
PAOK added to that 11 minutes later with a fine goal as Rovers were carved open.
Substitute Stefan Schwab’s killer pass with the outside of his left foot found the run of Despodov who rifled to the net with Pohls diving the wrong way in anticipation of a cross.
Shamrock Rovers: Pohls; Cleary, Lopes, Kavanagh (Grace, 65); McEneff, O’Neill (Noonan, 65); Burns (Farrugia, 65), Towell, Byrne (Mandroiu, 65), O’Sullivan; McNulty (Burke, 65).
PAOK: Kotarski; Jonny, Kedziora, Michailidis, Baba (Rafa Soares, 76); Camara, Ozdoev (Schwab, 71); Despodov, Murg (Taison, 71), Zivkovic (Konstantelias, 71); Tissoudali (Chalov, 71).
Referee: Donatas Rumsas (Lithuanian).
Attendance: 5,079.
