Anderlecht edged PAOK 3-2 in the Europa League third qualifying round first leg, thanks to a burst of three goals either side of half-time. The visitors pulled one back late to make it tense, but PAOK finished with nine men after two red cards in the closing minutes.
Leo Petrot opened the scoring on 20 minutes from Giulian Biancone's assist, but Andrija Živković equalised for PAOK on 34. Anderlecht struck twice after the break, Lukas Ambros restoring the lead on 47 and Danylo Sikan making it 3-1 on 55. Alexander Jeremejeff's 88th-minute goal gave PAOK hope, but they could not find an equaliser.
Anderlecht were clinical despite seeing less of the ball, scoring three from nine shots on target while PAOK managed four on target from 55% possession. PAOK also had 8 corners to Anderlecht's 2 but could not make that pressure count. The game ended with red cards for Andrija Živković and Alexander Jeremejeff in the final minutes.
