SHAMROCK ROVERS produced a brave second half display but it was not enough to overturn a first half deficit as they crashed to a 3-1 loss to PAOK Salonika in the UEFA Europa League.

 

While the newly crowned Airtricity League champions went into the game believing they could get their first points on the board in Group A, they found the Greek side possessed serious attacking class early on.

The Hoops began in lively fashion with Chris Turner capitalising on a lay-off by Karl Sheppard to fire in a low strike from outside the box that PAOK keeper Kostas Chalkias did well to get hold off.

Unfortunately the Greeks raised the tempo dramatically and Portuguese winger Vieirinha ripped through the Hoops defence to give his side control.

Vieirinha hit the post in the sixth minute as the home defence was in disarray and when the ball rebounded to Dimitris Salpingidis it required a brave block from Craig Sives to keep the ball out.

Less than a minute later Vieirinha turned provider for Salpingidis and the experienced Greek striker slotted the ball past the exposed Ryan Thompson. Sives tried his best to get back and clear but it was to no avail.

Rovers stemmed the tide somewhat for 20 minutes but full-back Lino broke through in the 27^th minute and it took a brave stop from Thompson to deny the defender.

Unfortunately the Hoops conceded poorly again in the 36^th minute. Salpingidis turned provider this time and Giorgos Fotakis had a routine finish at the back post to tap home.

It got worse for the shell-shocked home side as Salpingidis made it 3-0 two minutes later when he steered home from a Giorgos Georgiadis cross.

Turner gave the Rovers fans something to cheer about in the 41^st minute when his looping header from a Stephen O’Donnell delivery was tipped over by keeper Chalkias.

The Rovers fans were finally on their feet in the 51^st minute when Billy Dennehy curled home brilliantly from a 20-yard free-kick after Sheppard had been fouled by Fotakis.

Ciaran Kilduff and Gary Twigg had been introduced at the break and their attacking verve really took the game to the visitors.

Kilduff’s pace won a free-kick in the 55^th minute that Dennehy curled over and Sheppard really should have converted when he got his head to the ball. His effort bounced limply wide.

The magnificent Vieirinha almost killed the game off in the 69^th minute with a 30-yard blast that rattled the crossbar. Thompson may just have got a touch to it.

Dennehy came close to adding a second goal in the 81^st minute when he flashed a volley across goal and Chalkias also saved Dennehy strike in the 85^th minute. Vieirinha should have added a fourth less than a minute later but blazed over with just Thompson to beat.

Kilduff thought he had headed a second goal in the 92^nd minute when he got his head to a Twigg cross in the box but a defender cleared off the line.

SHAMROCK ROVERS: Thompon; Sullivan, Sives, Murray, Stevens, McCormack (Rice 70), O’Donnell, Turner (Kilduff 46), McCabe (Twigg 46), Sheppard, Dennehy.

PAOK: Chalkias; Sznaucner, Cirillo, Malezas, Lino, Fotakis (Balafas 64), Lazar, Arias, Georgiadis (Apostolopoulos 88), Salpingidis (Papazoglou 89), Vierinha.

REFEREE: A Kulbakov (Belarus).