PAOK have been eliminated from European competition after suffering a 3-2 defeat against Norwegian side Brann in Bergen on Thursday in UEFA Conference League qualifying.
The defeat ends the Greek club's European campaign in August. Manager Lisi disputed a key refereeing decision following the final whistle in Norway.
Lisi, who named the starting eleven for the match, stated afterwards that no penalty should have been awarded in the play that led to Brann's third goal.
PAOK are based in Thessaloniki and regularly represent Greek football in continental tournaments. Brann play their home matches in Bergen, the second-largest city in Norway. The UEFA Conference League serves as Europe's third-tier annual club competition.
Disputed Penalty and Early Exit
The match on August 27 marked a decisive loss for the Thessaloniki team. The 3-2 result leaves PAOK out of European competition before the start of the autumn group stages.
On the same evening of European fixtures, Panathinaikos secured qualification for the Conference League main stage after a dramatic 2-1 victory over Czech club Hradec Kralove. Striker Cyriel Dessers converted a penalty in the 125th minute (120+5') to seal the win.
Following their victory, Panathinaikos submitted a formal complaint to UEFA concerning an attack on defender Georgios Kyriakopoulos. The result places Panathinaikos into Pot 2 for the Conference League draw.
Historic Qualification for OFI Crete
OFI Crete made history by advancing to the UEFA Europa League main stage with a 2-0 victory against CSKA Sofia in Bulgaria. The victory puts OFI into Pot 4 for the upcoming draw.
OFI manager Kontis said after the match that his team delivered a performance that anyone would envy. OFI are based in Heraklion on the island of Crete.
Brighton and Hove Albion also reached the Conference League main stage after defeating Norwegian side Tromso 4-0. Greek forward Charalampos Kostoulas delivered a standout performance for Brighton with a goal and an assist.
In other post-match comments, FC Copenhagen manager Jacob Neestrup said his side showed character during qualification while noting that there were still areas requiring improvement.
European Draws and Greek Clubs
AEK Athens confirmed their place in the UEFA Champions League main stage, where they were drawn against Real Madrid, Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk, Galatasaray, Como, and LASK.
The Champions League draw will see AEK and winger Christos Tzolis face off against Konstantinos Karetsas and Giannis Konstantelias, while AEK and Arsenal were both drawn to play Borussia Dortmund.
Olympiacos were assigned to Pot 1 for the Europa League draw. In player news, Danish defender Mads Fenger Pedersen arrived in Athens to sign contract terms with Olympiacos.
