Paok Vs Celta Vigo: Celta Take 2-1 First-Leg Lead in Tense Europa League Playoff
Paok Vs Celta Vigo delivered a tight first-leg contest as Celta Vigo secured a 2-1 win at Toumba Stadium, a result that amplifies the fine margins heading into the return leg of the Europa League playoff tie.
Paok Vs Celta Vigo: First leg result and standout stats
The first leg finished PAOK Salonika 1, Celta Vigo 2, a scoreline that follows a season in which the sides had already met in the group phase when Celta recorded a 3-1 home victory. That earlier group win and the knockout result combine to underline Celta's recent edge in European meetings with Greek opposition.
Several concrete developments emerged from the match and the broader campaign numbers: Giorgos Giakoumakis has contributed four Europa League goals for PAOK this season, while PAOK have scored 17 goals and conceded 14 across their eight Europa League matches. Celta arrive in the tie with 15 goals scored and 11 conceded in the competition. The narrow 2-1 scoreline at Toumba keeps the tie finely balanced but gives Celta the advantage heading into the return leg.
What the result means for the tie and both teams' European records
The outcome feeds into two notable trends. Celta Vigo have an established record against Greek teams in major European competition, winning each of their last four such matches by a two-goal margin since November 1999, and they remain unbeaten across their last four away knockout round games in major European competition, with two wins and two draws in that run. Those historical markers add context to Celta's position heading into the second leg.
For PAOK, the defeat compounds a long-standing knockout issue: PAOK Salonika have not won a knockout match in the UEFA Europa League or UEFA Cup in any of their last 16 attempts, a sequence of seven draws and nine losses that stretches back to their last knockout victory. The home performance that once made Toumba a stronghold—PAOK have scored in eight of their last nine home matches and kept four clean sheets in their last six at home—was not enough to flip that knockout run this time.
Form, vulnerabilities and what to watch in the return leg
Both clubs carry contrasting recent domestic form into the return fixture. PAOK had been reading from a steady run of results with three wins and two draws in their last five across all competitions, but their European campaign has been inconsistent, balancing attacking firepower with defensive lapses highlighted by a 4-2 European defeat that included a red card in their most recent continental outing. Celta, meanwhile, arrived at Toumba with domestic frustrations: a 2-2 draw that left them winless in five matches across all competitions and with away form that has yielded just one win from four trips.
The tie now hinges on how each side reacts. Celta's away knockout resilience and history against Greek opponents give them a psychological edge, while PAOK's home scoring record and the individual impact of players such as Giakoumakis offer a route back into contention. Small margins and tactical adjustments will be decisive when the teams meet again for the return leg.
The first leg result leaves the tie open but tilts the immediate momentum in Celta Vigo's favour. Both coaches will need to address defensive fragility and finishing consistency if they hope to overturn or consolidate the 2-1 scoreline in the second leg.
