leixões dream continues published: tuesday 17 september 2002, 22.00cet leixões sc 2-1 paok portuguese third division team take narrow lead to thessalonika.
leixões sc 2-1 fc paok thessaloniki portuguese third division side leixões sc’s european odyssey could well continue still further after they defeated fc paok thessaloniki in their uefa cup first round first-leg match.
dream start the runners-up in the portuguese cup got off to a perfect start as they opened the scoring after just four minutes. their outstanding player on the night, abílio, launched a trademark free-kick from the right side some 20 metres out. paok failed to clear and the ball broke to brito on the left side of the area and he made no mistake with his arrowed finish.
paok hit back paok seemed to have been taken by surprise by the standard of the opposition, but they eventually settled down and imposed their greater physical strength on leixões on the heavy turf. they drew level after 25 minutes when guy feutchine’s corner was perfectly met by polish defender mariusz kukielka, who directed his downward header into the left corner.
detinho on target the opening half petered out before leixões injected new blood at the interval in the shape of substitute detinho. he took just seven minutes to make his mark. detinho got on the end of guerra’s cross and his textbook header left vangelis pourliotopoulos with no chance. but the portuguese team should really have added to their lead, with both zamarano and detinho both guilty of spurning good chances within five minutes of that goal.
carvalho content but coach carlos carvalho was content with his team’s win. he said: “before the match i would have been very happy if i thought that we would win 2-1 but after what happened in the match i think we could have had an even better result. but paok are an excellent team and the game in greece will be very different.”
