Gazzetta remembered, searched and reminded you of anecdotes from PAOK’s three previous visits to Belgium with historic victories and qualifications.

THAT PAOK returns to the “Venice of the North”, for the first batch with the pride of his city Brugesfourteen years after his first visit, to his team’s early European steps Thodori Zagorakiswhich reached the round of 16 in the Europa League.

After that, September of 2010three weeks after “Taking the City”and qualify for the groups on it Fenerbahçethe “black and white” remained standing (1-1) at “Jan Breidel” opposite to Brugesthanks to a goal by him Stelios Malezasthe two teams eventually went hand in hand (with a convenient draw in Toumba) to the next stage of the competition.

THAT “two-headed” had been found for the first time in Belgium on September of 1967 when he faced her Royal Liegeto International Exhibitions Cup, knowing two defeats (2-0, 3-2). Games not recognized by UEFA, that’s why they officially are unbeaten in six games against teams from Belgium.

When Borbokis “nailed” Malin

THAT PAOK traveled to October 2 of 1991 for its picturesque town Malin with a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Toumba, the Belgians were favorites to qualify. We are talking about a team that was crowned three years earlier winner of the European Cupwinner in the final Ajax.

The only one who did not lose his faith was Thomas Voulinos who traveled to Belgium from Hamburg, where he had been on business, and held a press conference in the evening for the Greek envoys.

“We didn’t come for tourism” its owner clarified PAOK PAOK, who was willing to stick his hand well in his pocket in case of qualification. The football players learned about the additional prize of fifteen million drachmas, which in the confusion of qualification increased and finally reached twenty million drachmas.

In it “Achter de Caserne” of the 8,500 seats, “Dikephalos” had support, mainly from Greeks from the diaspora, who very easily won the battle of the tribunes. The only thing that scared them was the view 100 dogs who had been recruited by the local police!

THAT Ciro Blazevic before the cross he did not know if he could be counted on Magdi Tolba. The Egyptian had picked up a contusion in the first match and was unable to play the full ninety minutes as was the case with “Pharaoh of Toumba” to come on as a substitute in the 82nd minute and by his own action the winning goal had begun.

The “black and white” came on strongly and only in the 5th minute of the match o Kostas Lagonidis sent the ball into the net, but Portuguese referee Jose dos Santos disallowed the goal, attributing an attacking error to the Greek midfielder. In the last minutes, Michalis Leontiadis he hit the cross, the Belgian defenders did not leave his feet Stefanou Borbokis the ball was “sticked” in the corner of Predom’s goal to make it 0-1.

Malezas wrote history in Bruges

Stelios Malezas has scored five goals in 241 games with PAOK. One in five is in Europe. And more specifically in Belgium. Never; In September 2010. In picturesque Bruges and the premiere of the Europa League group stage.

The value of Stefanos Borbokis’ goal may have been greater as it clinched qualification, but what the Greek centre-back scored against Club Brugge also had its own value as it was PAOK’s first goal in the Europa League group stage.

“Two-Headed” traveled to Belgium two days before the match and on the eve of the match, Pantelis Konstantinidis flew all the way to Liège to meet him Sergio Conceiçãowho then took his first steps as a coach in Standard by his friend Domicique D’Onofrio.

The Cameroonian Dorje Quemaja who had spent the year of the second relegation (2004-05) of Marsopened the scoring for her Bruges in the 61st minute, but “Two-Headed” found the goal from a static phase, a corner, ten minutes before the final, with Stelio Maleza to beat the Belgian defense in the air and send the ball into the net for the final 1-1.

Others, do you remember the night in Ghent…

In the 90s on a wall on it Sir. Lambrakisthe main road that crosses Upper Toumba across it was a slogan written in black paint: “Welcome hero! 0-1”.

You could see it everywhere, no one dared to erase it until a few years ago, it was the message from a friend to “Two-Headed” and “thank you” to his companion who had traveled to Malin.

After many years, at Ghent This time, the hero was called “Andre Vieirania”. In the 66th minute of the rematch for his “16”. European Conference League came the moment that changed everything. The qualification was decided at the time when o Vierinia went off to win a header from her much taller players Ghent and collapsed to the ground. At that moment the qualification was over. Until then it was played…

The leader of “Two-Headed” got… six stitches in his head as a souvenir. The doctor, Yannis Rallis, asked him if he was dizzy and if he could continue. Although he was dizzy, he did not answer. Neither yes nor no. He just kept asking the bench for an extra shirt to replace the bloody one and get back into the game.