Lisci: PAOK's win over Dynamo Kyiv shows team is moving in right direction

PAOK head coach Alessio Lisci believes his side showed real progress with their 2-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv in the return leg of the Europa League second qualifying round. Lisci admitted PAOK were off the pace initially, but insisted they grew into the contest and found the answers when it mattered. He pointed out that the team is stringing together more good periods within games, which is why they were able to turn things around. "It was very important to see how competitive we can be," Lisci said. "We started badly, the game wasn't developing well and we couldn't capitalise. As the minutes went by, we improved and looked for the moment to change everything. We improved our game and beat a good team." The coach was happier with the defensive side this time, especially after seeing his team lose their shape in the final 20 minutes of the first match in Poland. He also made a point of mentioning Zafeiris, who he felt used his improved physical condition to work differently off the ball compared with the previous meeting. "Konstantelias is fantastic, but today we should talk about what he did without the ball. He pressed everywhere and constantly helped with interceptions. There are areas where he can improve, but let's focus on the whole team and how it helps him produce what he does on the pitch," Lisci added. He acknowledged that the play with the ball was not the most exciting, but getting through was the priority. Lisci described his first match at Toumba as fantastic and hopes more evenings like this are to come.