Celta Edges PAOK in Paok Vs Celta Vigo First Leg as Knockout Woes Continue
Paok Vs Celta Vigo ended with a 2-1 win for the Spanish side in the first leg of the Europa League playoff tie at Toumba Stadium, a result that deepens PAOK's longstanding struggles in the competition and preserves Celta's recent knockout resilience.
Paok Vs Celta Vigo — First leg scoreline and match moments
The first-leg encounter finished PAOK Salonika 1, Celta Vigo 2. Match events included a number of notable moments: a yellow card shown to Andrija Zivkovic for a bad foul, a missed long-range opportunity from Zivkovic that went close, and several set-piece situations won by both sides in the second half. The fourth official announced five minutes of added time before the final whistle. Those incidents framed a tight contest that ultimately swung in Celta's favour.
Stat lines that mattered: PAOK's drought and Celta's away knockout form
The result leaves two concrete threads running through the tie. PAOK Salonika remain without a knockout victory in the UEFA Europa League or UEFA Cup in any of their last 16 attempts, a run recorded as seven draws and nine defeats since their last knockout win in October 2003. That historical struggle adds weight to the current setback at home.
On the other side, Celta Vigo arrived with a strong recent record in away knockout fixtures in major European competition, described as unbeaten across their last four such games, with two wins and two draws. The Spanish side have also won each of their last four major European matches against Greek opponents since November 1999, each by a two-goal margin, a trend that the latest win extended.
What the form guides said before kickoff and how it played out
Pre-match context showed a mixed landscape. PAOK had been steady domestically, extending a run that included three wins and two draws in their last five matches across competitions and producing a goalless draw in their most recent outing against a domestic rival. At home they were noted for scoring in eight of their last nine home matches and keeping four clean sheets in six, a profile that underlined why the first leg at Toumba was viewed as an opportunity to seize control of the tie.
Still, PAOK's European campaign entered the playoffs with signs of inconsistency: 17 goals scored and 14 conceded across eight Europa League matches in the group phase, alongside a 4-2 defeat in their previous European outing that exposed defensive vulnerabilities and featured a sending-off. Celta, conversely, had been struggling for results in domestic play, arriving winless in five across all competitions with three draws and two defeats, and with a more modest away record. Yet their Europa League numbers — 15 goals scored and 11 conceded in the competition — and their recent away knockout resilience proved sufficient to tip the balance in the first leg.
Implications and what to watch in the return
The 2-1 scoreline hands Celta an advantage going into the second leg while leaving PAOK with work to do to overturn the deficit. For PAOK, the match underscores the pressure of breaking a long knockout drought and tightening defensive lapses that have appeared at key moments in recent European outings. For Celta, the win maintains their pattern of performing solidly in knockout away fixtures and continuing a favourable record against Greek opposition in major European matches.
With a place in the Europa League round of 16 on the line, the tie remains open. The return leg will decide whether PAOK can end a lengthy knockout victory drought or whether Celta will complete the job and progress on the back of a hard-fought 2-1 first-leg success.
