Maccabi edge PAOK for a second time to advance to #CEVChallengeCupM quarterfinals

In the 8^th Finals of the men’s CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup, PAOK THESSALONIKI of Greece hosted on Thursday night Maccabi Yeadim TEL-AVIV from Israel, with the home side looking to make amends for their 1-3 loss in the previous fixture. The Israelis eventually prevailed at the tiebreak this time – thus securing their spot in the quarterfinals of the competition where they will be playing against Omonia NICOSIA of Cyprus.

In the first set, the visitors started strongly, taking a 9-point lead at 19-10, and the set ended in a landslide 25-15 win for Maccabi. The score remained tight until 18-18 in the second set, before PAOK broke away to seize the chance to level the match (25-21). In the third set, the teams exchanged the lead back and forth again until 14-14, where Maccabi picked up their pace and made it 2-1 in their favour (25-21), thus sealing their progression to the next round. The fourth set followed the same pattern up to 24-24, when PAOK scored the next two points. With not much at stake anymore, the two teams used some of their reserve players. In the tie break, the two opponents fought hard until the end, with Maccabi prevailing 15-13 to claim a second victory in as many matches with PAOK.