Eight points. That is the gap at the top of the Greek Super League now, and after what happened at the Allwyn Arena on Sunday afternoon, it is starting to look less like a title race and more like a coronation.
AEK Athens destroyed PAOK 3-0 in a derby that was over as a contest well before the hour mark. Tomasz Kedziora’s own goal in the 36th minute broke the deadlock. Aboubakary Koita doubled it in the 73rd. Orbelín Pineda sealed it ten minutes later. PAOK — who had not lost to AEK in four previous encounters — were simply swept away.
Marko Nikolić’s side are now 66 points. PAOK and Olympiacos are both on 58. With a handful of games remaining in the Championship Group, AEK have one hand firmly on the trophy.
Context: Europe Gone, Focus Fully Domestic
There was extra meaning behind AEK’s performance on Sunday. Just days earlier, they had exited the UEFA Conference League quarter-finals at the hands of Rayo Vallecano — a 0-3 first leg defeat proving too big a hole to climb out of, despite winning the second leg 3-1 at home. It stung. It was supposed to be their European moment.
Instead, they channelled all of it into this. Everything that was missing in that first leg — the aggression, the clinical edge, the defensive organisation — showed up at the Allwyn Arena in front of a crowd that was ready to explode.
PAOK came in having drawn 0-0 with Panathinaikos in their previous Championship Group fixture. They sat joint second with Olympiacos on 58 points — five behind AEK going into the day. A win would have cut the gap to two. By full time, it was eight. The damage was enormous.
First Half: Pressure Builds, Kedziora Breaks It
AEK controlled the first half almost entirely. PAOK — set up in their familiar 4-2-3-1 with Tsiftsis in goal, Lovren and Kedziora in the heart of defence, and Taison and Konstantelias providing the attacking threat — were pinned back from early on.
Gacinovic and Marin pressed relentlessly in the midfield areas. Pereyra found pockets between the lines. Barnabás Varga, the Hungarian striker, held the ball up effectively and brought Zini and Pineda into play. PAOK looked nervous — the kind of nervous that comes from knowing the result matters far more to one side than the other.
The breakthrough came in the 36th minute and it could not have been more deflating for the visitors. AEK worked a corner routine on the right side, the delivery came in low, and in the scramble inside the six-yard box, Kedziora stretched to clear but only succeeded in turning it into his own net. 1-0. The Allwyn Arena erupted.
PAOK had a chance before half-time — Konstantelias broke forward and Zafeiris played a ball in behind, but Strakosha was alert and came off his line quickly to smother the danger. That was about as close as they came in the first 45 minutes.
Half-time: AEK 1-0 PAOK. Deserved, and it could easily have been more.
Second Half: Koita and Pineda Finish It
PAOK made changes at the break — Chatsidis for Taison, in an attempt to inject more pace and directness. It made very little difference. AEK continued where they had left off, keeping possession, pressing high, and denying PAOK any real time on the ball in dangerous areas.
The second goal came in the 73rd minute. Koita — who had been a constant menace with his movement and quick feet — picked the ball up on the left side of the box. He exploited a defensive error from PAOK’s back line, and this time there was no mistake. His finish into the corner gave Tsiftsis no chance. 2-0.
At that point, the match was over. PAOK’s heads went down. The substitutions they made — Pelkas for Taison, Zivkovic for Chatsidis — felt like damage limitation rather than genuine attempts to get back into the game.
Pineda completed the rout in the 80th minute. The Mexican international had been quietly excellent throughout — clever touches, smart positioning, and just enough discipline to avoid the bookings that might have hampered him. When the ball fell to him inside the box following a PAOK defensive collapse, he finished with the composure you would expect from a player of his experience. 3-0. The Allwyn Arena celebrated loudly.
The Historical Context
This was a result that broke a four-game winless run for AEK against PAOK in all competitions. In recent seasons, PAOK had been the dominant force in this fixture — staying unbeaten in their last four meetings before Sunday. That streak is gone now, and the manner of its ending made it all the more significant.
AEK came in off the back of a European disappointment that could have derailed momentum entirely. Instead, they produced their most complete league performance of the Championship Group phase so far. Nikolić will not often say this publicly, but the Conference League exit may have come at the right time — it has given his squad complete clarity of focus.
For PAOK, this is a serious crisis of confidence. Three wins in their last seven matches across all competitions. A title challenge that looked real a month ago now feels very distant. Razvan Lucescu’s side are not out of the race mathematically, but eight points with five to play is an enormous deficit in a league with tight margins.
What Comes Next
AEK lead on 66 points. PAOK and Olympiacos both sit on 58. Panathinaikos are fourth on 50. The race for second and third — and the European qualification spots that come with them — may be more competitive than the title fight.
For AEK, the priority now is straightforward. Win the remaining games. Don’t give PAOK or Olympiacos a way back in. If they do that, the Super League title is going back to Athens for the first time in three seasons.
For live Greek Super League scores and match coverage, visit fawanews.org.uk. Full standings and updated fixtures are available at the official Super League Greece website.
Match Summary
AEK Athens 3-0 PAOK Stoiximan Super League, Championship Group Round 2 | Sunday, 19 April 2026 Allwyn Arena, Athens | Referee: Jesús Gil Manzano (ESP)
Goals: Tomasz Kedziora 36′ OG, Aboubakary Koita 73′, Orbelín Pineda 80′
AEK Athens (4-4-2): Strakosha; Rota, Moukoudi, Filipe Relvas, Penrice; Gacinovic, Marin, Pineda, Pereyra; Zini (Kutesa 82′), Varga (Koita 67′)
PAOK (4-2-3-1): Tsiftsis; Sánchez, Kedziora, Lovren, Baba; Ozdoev, Zafeiris; Konstantelias (Pelkas 67′), Taison (Chatsidis HT), Chatsidis (Zivkovic 75′); Jeremejeff
Half-time: 1-0
Standings after Round 2: AEK Athens 66 pts | PAOK 58 pts | Olympiacos 58 pts | Panathinaikos 50 pts
