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CSKA Sofia vs. Levski Sofia
Sofia, Bulgaria
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Rivals, The Offbeat Guide To The 92 League Clubs, is one of the best derby books available.
Read the review |
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| PAOK Saloniki - AEK Athens (3 - 2) |
| A Ethniki (First Division Greece), 21 March 2004 |
| Stadium : Toumpa Stadion |
| Attendance : 28.000 |
The match between these two teams was a very big event this year because PAOK was third in the First Division and AEK was 9 points behind. It could be the first time in historie that PAOK could qualify for the qualification rounds of the Champions League.
The Toumpa stadion of PAOK in Thessaloniki could hold about 28.000 people from which 25.200 tickets were sold to PAOK people because nobody from AEK would come to this match. The atmosphere in Thessaloniki was from friday very hot. Everybody who had a ticket for this match could not sleep.
I am from Germany PAOK Club Mannheim and I was flying on saturday morning from Frankfurt to Thessaloniki only for the match!!! I arrived in Thessaloniki on Saturday at 1500 hours and I went with my PAOK friends in Thessaloniki on tour the whole saturday night so we didn't have much sleep till Sunday morning : The day of the match PAOK-AEK in Toumpa stadion Thessaloniki.
It was about at 12 o'clock in the afternoon and outside the stadium
there were already about 15.000 or 20.000 people !!!
Every cafe, club, restaurant and everything around the stadium was in the colours of PAOK. Everything was black and white and everybody was singing and dancing. We prepair us for the match by having a drink and eat something and we were singing all the time.
About two hours before the match began (17:00) I went into the stadiun and that what I saw was wonderful. There were about 20.000 people allready IN the stadium and they were dancing and singing for PAOK. About half an hour before the match the players from PAOK came into the stadion to do their warmup and 20.000 people were singing them a song that says "These are the champions!" again and again and again.
15 Minutes before the match, the Toumpa stadion in Thessaloniki was full with 28.000 PAOk fans who want the victory of PAOK.
The first half of the game was incredible. AEK scored at the 33 min. of the game the first goal, but everybody was singing for PAOK and nobody stopt!! At the 42 min. of the game AEK scored the second goal, but everybody was still singing and dancing for PAOK!!! I didn't understand the PAOK fans, why were they singing while they were 0-2 down??
And then came the best part of the match. PAOK changed a player who was from that moment the best player. Slatzian Spasic came in and in the 44 min. of the match he gave the ball to Yasemaki and he scored the 1-2 with a wonderful header. The Toumpa stadium was on fire!!! But only 30 seconds later Yasemaki scored with a great goal the 2-2!!
The Toumpa Stadium was on fire and everybody was singing and dancing for PAOK. In the end PAOK won the game 3-2 by a goal from Salpigidi and 28.000 people want the Champions League in Thesaloniki.
I flew back to Germany at monday but I definitely want to go back to Thessalonki for the match against Panathinaikos.
For some photo's you can look at our website www.paok-mannheim.de
Report added : 24 March 2004
www.paok-mannheim.de
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