Greek side PAOK earned a 1-1 home draw against Norwegian club Brann in the first leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League play-off on Thursday.
Substitute Baba scored an 80th-minute header from a corner to bring the hosts level after Eriksen had put the visitors ahead early in the second half.
The result leaves the tie evenly poised ahead of next week's decisive second leg in Norway, where both teams will play to avoid European elimination in August.
Alessio Lisi's PAOK side started aggressively at home, creating two clear openings inside the first three minutes. Chatsidis sent a shot wide from inside the penalty area after just 15 seconds, before Mythou saw a deflected effort spin narrowly past the post in the third minute.
The hosts dominated the opening ten minutes and continued to push forward despite Brann threatening on the counter-attack in the 12th minute, when Finne broke down the left and set up Eriksen, who shot wide from a good position.
Chatsidis tested Brann goalkeeper Dyngeland with a low effort in the 14th minute, and Santamaria headed wide from a corner two minutes later. PAOK missed their best chance of the half in the 19th minute, when Taison picked out Giannoulis, whose pass found Chatsidis face-to-face with the goal, only for the forward to send his shot inches wide.
PAOK almost went ahead in the 27th minute when Dragnes sent a header back towards his own net, forcing Dyngeland to save. The pace of the game dropped after the half-hour mark, allowing the Norwegian visitors to settle and take the match into half-time at 0-0.
Brann strike before late PAOK fightback
Brann opened the second half strongly and missed a golden opportunity in the 53rd minute when De Reve failed to score into an empty net with PAOK goalkeeper Pavlenka beaten.
The visitors capitalised on their momentum four minutes later. Soltvedt picked out Eriksen inside the box, and the midfielder struck a low shot into the net in the 57th minute to give Brann a 1-0 lead.
The opening goal affected PAOK psychologically, prompting manager Alessio Lisi to make immediate substitutions. Mythou made way for Ndiaye in the 57th minute, while Giannoulis, Santamaria, and Taison were replaced by Baba, Louche, and Taylor in the 65th minute.
Lisi's changes paid off ten minutes from time. Louche delivered a corner in the 80th minute, where substitute Baba rose to head the ball into the net and bring PAOK level at 1-1.
PAOK searched for a late winner and missed a final chance in the 87th minute, when Ndiaye placed a weak shot straight at Dyngeland following a low cross from Taylor. Camara had previously made way for Shoretire in the 77th minute as PAOK pushed forward.
Match lineups and squad details
PAOK started with Pavlenka in goal behind a defense of Kenny, Elustondo, Chatzidiakos, and Giannoulis. Zafeiris and Santamaria lined up in midfield, with Camara, Chatsidis, and Taison supporting Mythou up front. Substitutes Baba, Louche, Taylor, Shoretire, and Ndiaye all featured off the bench.
Brann fielded Dyngeland between the posts, with Soltvedt, Dragnes, Knudsen, and De Reve across the back line. Pedersen, Sorensen, Vasberg, Eriksen, and Gudmundsson started in midfield behind lone striker Finne. Kjartansson replaced Pedersen in the 86th minute, while Remen came on for Finne in the 93rd minute.
The two teams meet again next week in Norway for the second leg, with the winner securing a place in the Europa Conference League.
