Great Panathinaikos bent Betis at OAKA, celebrated an important victory (1–0) and took the first step toward a major qualification to the Europa League quarterfinals.
Rafa Benítez’s Greens left their hearts on the pitch, executed the Spanish coach’s plan perfectly and offered the fans of the “Shamrock” a memorable European night reminiscent of the club’s glory days. Now they will travel to Seville to finish successfully the job they started. The second leg will not be an easy task, as Betis showed their quality. However, Panathinaikos also demonstrated its strong character.
The clash between the Greens and the Seville side turned into a tough and demanding battle from the first to the last minute. Betis became threatening in the 7th minute with a sudden shot by Ez Abde that went wide and one minute later with a header by Cucho Hernández, but Lafont was alert and tipped it over for a corner.
In the 14th minute Panathinaikos recorded its first big chance. After a beautiful exchange of passes between Pellistri, Taborda and Kyriakopoulos, the Greens’ left-back nutmegged Aitor brilliantly, entered the box and fired a low diagonal shot that went just wide.
A period of strong midfield play followed without chances until the 33rd minute, when Betis came close to scoring with a close-range shot by Cucho Hernández inside the area. Once again Lafont made a crucial save, keeping the score at 0–0 until halftime.
In the 55th minute Betis had a very dangerous diagonal shot by Cucho Hernández that narrowly missed Lafont’s post. In the 59th minute the numerical balance changed when Zaroury was sent off after receiving a second yellow card in a rather strict decision by referee.
Playing with ten men, the Greens tightened their lines in an effort to control the tempo. They succeeded, as Betis struggled to find space to threaten. On the contrary, Panathinaikos came closer to scoring in the 76th minute when, after a clever free-kick by Taborda, Ingason and Calabria moved toward the ball but could not finish from close range.
In the 83rd minute Tetteh was replaced by Swiderski, who less than a minute after entering the pitch went one-on-one with Pau López and attempted a finish. The Betis goalkeeper saved it, but at the same moment Llorente caught the Polish striker on the ankle with his studs. VAR alerted the referee, who reviewed the incident on the pitch and awarded the penalty, while also sending Llorente off with a second yellow card.
In the 88th minute Taborda took responsibility, converted perfectly and made it 1–0 for the Greens, setting OAKA on fire. In the remaining minutes Panathinaikos managed the lead perfectly, secured the valuable victory and now head to Seville aiming for qualification.
Panathinaikos: Lafont, Calabria, Ingason, Katris, Zaroury, Kyriakopoulos, Cerin (83’ Siopis), Renato Sanches, Taborda (90+4’ Andino), Pellistri (90+2’ Djuricic), Tetteh (83’ Swiderski).
Real Betis: Pau López, Aitor Ruibal, Rodríguez (68’ Firpo), Natan (46’ Valentín Gómez), Llorente, Fornals (89’ Bartra), Altimira (79’ Deossa), Roca, Antony, Ez Abde (68’ Riquelme), Cucho Hernández.
