Juan Manuel Vargas proved enough to maintain Fiorentina’s” data-scaytid=”1″>Fiorentina’s perfect Europa League record away to PAOK Salonika.
Juan Manuel Vargas proved enough to maintain Fiorentina’s perfect Europa League record away to PAOK Salonika.
The Viola had beaten Guingamp and Dinamo Minsk 3-0, but were fresh from a 2-0 Serie A home defeat to Lazio. Juan Cuadrado and Gonzalo Rodriguez were rested with Mario Gomez and Giuseppe Rossi still injured, giving 20-year-old Federico Bernardeschi the nod. PAOK are currently top of their domestic league, unbeaten on 16 points from six rounds, and could rely on a fiery atmosphere in Salonika.
Bad news early on for the hosts, who saw Skondras stretchered off with an ankle injury. Bernardeschi showed his inexperience when wasting two early opportunities, lobbing off target and at full stretch firing over the bar.
The deadlock was finally broken when Josip Ilicic sprung the offside trap and squared it for Juan Manuel Vargas. The Peruvian’s first shot was parried, but he got it on the rebound.
PAOK fought back, but Ciprian Tatarusanu was well behind an Athanasiadis half-volley and a Razvan Rat free kick was blasted straight into the wall.
Tziolis set up Athanasiadis, but his chest and volley was well blocked by Tatarusanu, as was a Salpingidis snapshot. Jasmin Kurtic saw his strike palmed round the upright and Vargas so nearly made it 2-0, but was denied by the upright at the end of a fine counter-attacking move.
The game was opening up and Cuadrado stung the goalkeeper’s gloves on two different occasions with his trademark rapid runs. Vargas shrugged off defenders to pull back from the by-line only for Kurtic to waste by drilling wide. Marko Marin received his Viola debut after arriving on loan from Chelsea and Kace fired not far off target for PAOK.
PAOK 0-1 Fiorentina
Scorers: Vargas 38 (F)
PAOK: Glykos; Skondras (Kitsiou 11), Katsikas, Miguel Vitor, Rat; Tzandaris, Tziolis, Kace; Salpingidis (Papadopoulos 81), Athanasiadis, Pereyra (Golasa 54)
Fiorentina: Tatarusanu; Richards, Tomovic, Basanta, Pasqual; Kurtic, Badelj, Borja Valero (Lazzari 67); Ilicic (Marin 78), Bernardeschi (Cuadrado 57), Vargas
Ref: Zwayer (GER)