published: thursday 15 september 2011, 21.00cet paok fc 0-0 tottenham hotspur fc
lino missed a penalty and vladimir ıvić headed against the bar in stoppage time as the hosts failed the break the deadlock.
paok fc and tottenham hotspur fc claimed their first point in group a after a goalless draw in salonika.
the greek side will be the more disappointed with the outcome after lino missed a first-half penalty and vladimir ıvić headed against the bar in stoppage time, though ıago falqué could have taken the points back to north london in either half of a promising display from harry redknapp's visitors.
tottenham's youthful selection provided the greater industry early on with two of their burgeoning talents nearly combining for the opening goal after 12 minutes. jake livermore burst through the home rearguard and committed goalkeeper dario krešić before feeding debutant falqué, only for the spanish winger's low drive to be cleared off the line by pablo contreras.
paok's threat had come mostly from distance – dimitris salpingidis's effort deflected over and giorgos fotakis testing carlo cudicini – before they were awarded a 33rd-minute penalty when the spurs custodian felled stefanos athanasiadis. lino confidently dispatched the spot kick, but encroachment necessitated a retake and the brazilian defender swept his second attempt wide.
roman pavlyuchenko almost capitalised on tottenham's reprieve but his free-kick whistled just over as half-time approached. the spurs striker played an integral part in the first dangerous moment of the second period too as he reacted to krešić's punch quicker than the custodian and found falqué on the edge of the area, the winger's curling effort from 20 metres arcing just wide of the far post.
paok conjured a presentable opportunity midway through the half when salpingidis marauded down the right channel and crossed for athanasiadis, but the forward's poked finish flew over as he slid in. athanasiadis's acrobatic volley and vieirinha's late drive called cudicini into action before substitute ıvić headed against the bar in the final seconds as the hosts pushed for a winner.
