In a game that probably should have been postponed, due to the emergency situation with the fires around Greece, PAOK were able to grab the win against FC Basel a lot easier than what the final 2-1 score might reveal. In a packed Toumba Stadium, the hosts held most of the possession but were unlucky in some of their early chances. The first goal came late in the first half, when Canias controlled the ball with his chest outside the area then took a shot that went past the helpless Omlin. The team from Thessaloniki continued to dominate yet it wasn’t until the 80th minute that they were able to double their lead, when a low cross by Limnios from the right found Prijovic, who wasted no time in taking the shot and sending the crowd into a frenzy. But Basel were given a lifeline two minutes later, as Stocker kicked in a long ball from the left which Paschalakis didn’t read properly, ending up at the far post where Ajeti was able to score what could be a crucial goal for his team. PAOK played great football at times and showed a lot of potential for the second leg, which promises to be a good one, in just a week’s time at the St. Jakob Park.