Greek champions PAOK FC edged Bosnian side Borac FC 3-2 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League second qualifying round on Wednesday, thanks to William Troost-Ekong’s decisive 51st-minute header.
Konstantinos Koulierakis scored a brace for PAOK in the 17th and 39th minutes, but Borac FC equalized twice through Sebastian Herera’s 22nd-minute penalty and Enver Kulasin’s 45th-minute strike.
Troost-Ekong’s header proved to be the winner, giving PAOK a slender advantage ahead of the second leg at Banja Luka City Stadium in Bosnia next Wednesday.
This match marked Troost-Ekong’s first competitive appearance for PAOK since recovering from a season-ending injury in February, which required surgery. The Super Eagles captain played the full 90 minutes, helping his team defend their lead.
“It’s always good to help the team and I’m very happy about it. Today is a special day for me as my eldest son turned six so I promised him from home that today will be something special,” Troost-Ekong said after the game.
“I also want to thank the coach and the president, who were there and supported me in difficult times. I’m really happy that I made it today. I’m fine, but the important thing is that we got the win, Koulierakis did a fantastic job.”
Speaking about the quality of the opponent, Troost-Ekong said, “They are a good team on the counter-attack, they have a tall striker, with a big body who managed to create dangers in general. His teammates were constantly looking for him, he also made a chance in the first half with his header. He is always dangerous.
“They are definitely champions, they deserve to be here, they are a good team and they are here for a reason. We have to respect them and go to the replay and finish the qualification case”.
The 30-year-old had been a transfer target for several Saudi Arabian clubs after his impressive performance for Nigeria at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire where he was named the Most Valuable Player of the competition after leading the Super Eagles to a second-place finish.
