PAOK shock has Spurs on brink
Sloppy marking from Sebastien Bassong allowed Dimitris Salpingidis and Stefanos Athanasiadis to give the Greeks a 2-0 lead after 13 minutes but Spurs pulled one back with a Luka Modric penalty after Konstantinos Stafylidis was dismissed for handball on the line.
Tottenham thought they had equalised through Jermain Defoe in the second half, but referee Bas Nijhuis disallowed the goal for a foul on Pablo Contreras.
The result put PAOK through and left Spurs needing to hammer several goals past Rovers in Ireland in a fortnight’s time and hope the Greeks overcome Rubin Kazan in Thessaloniki.
Willed on by the raucous hordes who had made the trip from Greece, PAOK took the lead in the sixth minute.
William Gallas lost the ball in defence and Giorgos Georgiadis took advantage, running into space down the right flank before crossing to the unmarked Salpingidis, who carefully guided the ball past Gomes.
Seven minutes later PAOK were 2-0 up. Pablo Garcia released Georgiadis down the left and he swung a low ball across the box which Athanasiadis tapped home.
The Greeks were then reduced to 10-men after Stafylidis was given a straight red for handling on the line and Modric made it 2-1 from the penalty spot with nine minutes of the first half left.
Spurs thought they had drawn level with 15 minutes left when Defoe tapped home from close range but the goal was controversially ruled out.
The referee appeared to give the goal but after deliberating with his assistant, he gave a free-kick to the Greeks for a foul — and ultimately leaving Spurs with a mountain to climb.
TOTTENHAM: Gomes, Corluka, Gallas, Bassong, Rose (Bale 62), Lennon, Livermore, Modric, Pienaar (Walker 67), Defoe, Kane (Falque 71).
PAOK SALONIKA: Chalkias, Etto, Malezas, Contreras (Cirillo 81), Stafylidis, Lazar (Arias 83), Pablo Garcia, Fotakis, Salpingidis, Georgiadis (Sznaucner 62), Athanasiadis.
Ref: Bas Nijhuis (Holland).
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