Fast Start, Then PAOK Take Over
Dynamo couldn’t have asked for a better opening. Volodymyr Brazhko fired Kyiv ahead inside three minutes with a long-range strike, set up by Eduard Guerrero, and for a moment it looked like the perfect start to this Europa League second qualifying round tie. PAOK had other ideas, though, and by the time the dust settled they’d taken control of the game and the scoreline both.
Giannis Konstantelias leveled things up in the 13th minute, finishing off a Aleksandar Zivkovic assist, and just before the break Christos Zafeiris put the Greek side ahead for the first time, making it 1-2 at halftime. Dynamo came out for the second half needing a response and instead conceded again — Brian Santamaria, teed up by Taison, extended PAOK’s lead to 1-3 in the 51st minute and put real daylight between the two sides.
Dynamo Push Late, But Time Runs Out
Kyiv didn’t fold, though. Head coach Ihor Kostiuk made changes and pushed his side forward, and Jasper Lonwijk pulled one back in the 77th minute off an assist from Andriy Yarmolenko to make it 2-3. From there, Dynamo more or less controlled the ball for the closing stages — Kostiuk said afterward his side dominated possession through the final half hour — but couldn’t find the finishing touch needed to complete the comeback, and PAOK held on to take a slender first-leg advantage back to Greece.
The game itself was overshadowed a bit by an ugly moment after the final whistle. Dynamo’s players moved toward the PAOK supporters’ section following full time, and Kostiuk later described it as a response to Greek fans deliberately displaying a Russian flag during the match — something he called a provocation aimed at people who don’t understand the reality of the war back home in Ukraine.
What It Means Next
PAOK take a 3-2 aggregate lead into the second leg at Stadio Toumba in Thessaloniki on 30 July, and it’s now on Dynamo to find a way back into the tie on the road. Kostiuk pointed to finishing as the difference in the end, noting his side had chances to level it in the closing stages but simply couldn’t convert them.
Match Summary
Dynamo Kyiv 2-3 PAOK UEFA Europa League, Second Qualifying Round, 1st Leg — Lublin, Poland Thursday, 23 July 2026
Goals: 3′ Volodymyr Brazhko (Dynamo Kyiv) 1-0 (assist: Eduard Guerrero) 13′ Giannis Konstantelias (PAOK) 1-1 (assist: Aleksandar Zivkovic) 38′ Christos Zafeiris (PAOK) 1-2 51′ Brian Santamaria (PAOK) 1-3 (assist: Taison) 77′ Jasper Lonwijk (Dynamo Kyiv) 2-3 (assist: Andriy Yarmolenko)
Result: PAOK win the first leg 3-2 and take a one-goal aggregate lead into the return fixture in Thessaloniki on 30 July.
For live Europa League qualifying scores and coverage, visit fawanews. Full results and bracket at the official UEFA Europa League website.
