European Panathinaikos is here! Rafa Benítez’s Greens, despite the adversity and obstacles they faced, showed tremendous fighting spirit in Plzeň and celebrated a huge qualification to the Europa League Round of 16.

After a thrilling battle that lasted more than two hours, the Shamrock players celebrated wildly with their fans, who turned the Doosan Arena into “Leoforos,” earning a fully deserved and heroic qualification.

The 90 minutes and the extra 30 minutes ended 1-1, while from the 105th minute Panathinaikos had to play with ten men following Javi Hernández’s red card. But the Greens did not break. On the contrary, they showed even more determination, gave everything on the pitch, and left as winners, keeping the European dream very much alive. In the next round, Panathinaikos will face either Midtjylland or Betis, which will be decided in Friday’s draw (27/2, 14:00).

The match started more than ideally for Panathinaikos. The Greens, who handled Viktoria’s early high press well, managed to score before the first ten minutes were completed. In the 9th minute, Touba delivered a cross, Tetteh won the header, and Taborda, who gained possession, brilliantly set up Tetteh with a backheel. Tetteh finished perfectly into the far corner to make it 0-1, scoring for the third consecutive game. It was the Greek striker’s third goal with the Shamrock in two European appearances and his fifth overall in green!

Viktoria tried to react and became threatening for the first time in the 21st minute with a volley by Laval that went just over Lafont’s crossbar. Rafa Benítez’s players controlled the tempo and created another good chance in the 41st minute, when Tetteh made a strong run into the box but was stopped by Jemelka before shooting.

The second half began with Djuricic replacing Zaroury. Against the run of play, and without having been threatened after the restart, Panathinaikos conceded the equalizer (1-1) following a corner by Hrošovský and a precise header from Spáčil.

The Greens tried to respond immediately and missed a big chance in the 65th minute when Renato Sanches shot just wide. In the 73rd minute, Tetteh was brought down in the box by Doué, but neither the referee nor VAR awarded the penalty. The 90 minutes ended level, and the teams continued their battle in extra time.

There, the numerical balance changed as Javi Hernández was shown a straight red card in the 105th minute for a challenge on Adu. Still, the Greens stood firm. In fact, they had the biggest chance of extra time when Pellistri entered the box and shot, but Suárez intervened and cleared for a corner.

The match went to penalties, where Lafont started perfectly by saving Memić’s attempt. The same happened with Calabria’s penalty, who was denied by Vieggele. Hrošovský, Pellistri, Vysínsky and Djuricic then converted successfully. Suárez shot high over the bar, Swiderski scored for 2-3, and Valenta converted Viktoria’s fifth penalty. Pandovic was the final taker and kept his cool. He calmly slotted the ball low into the right corner to make it 3-4 and send Panathinaikos to the next round, before being embraced by his teammates as they celebrated with their fans.

The chant “Hellas – Europe – Panathinaikos” echoes once again across European stadiums…

Penalty Shootout

  • Memić – Saved by Lafont
  • Calabria – Saved by Vieggele
  • Hrošovský 1-0
  • Pellistri 1-1
  • Vysínsky 2-1
  • Djuricic 2-2
  • Suárez – Missed (over)
  • Swiderski 2-3
  • Valenta 3-3
  • Pandović 3-4