Panathinaikos was once again wasteful and paid dearly for it. The Greens missed numerous clear opportunities at the Panthessaliko, where they lost 1-0 to Volos, dropping further behind in the Super League race.
From the very first second, Panathinaikos imposed its rhythm, dominating the field. With Tete leading the attack in the first fifteen minutes, the Greens had three good chances: first in the 8th minute, after a brilliant lofted pass by Chirivella, the Brazilian couldn’t get a touch on the ball before Siampanis. In the same minute, Tete came close to scoring with a shot inside the box that grazed the post after a fine combination between Cerin and Djuricic, while he also tried from outside the area in the 15th minute, but Siampanis saved, diving to his left.
In the 22nd minute, Tete again pressed and stole the ball inside the box, made a parallel pass, but Swiderski’s finish went just wide. Once more, wastefulness cost Panathinaikos dearly, as in the 23rd minute Volos scored on its very first visit to Dragowski’s area. Migas crossed from the right and Lamprou opened the scoring with a header.
In the 29th minute, Dragowski reacted well to a long shot by Lamprou, while two classic chances followed for the Greens — in the 32nd minute with Toumba after a pass from Swiderski, and in the 36th with Tete after a pass from Djuricic. On both occasions, the ball went narrowly wide.
The second half began with another missed opportunity for Panathinaikos after a cross from Zaroury and a flick from Swiderski, but Siampanis made a vital save diving to his right. The Greens continued to press, coming close again in the 60th minute with a header by Ingason from a Cerin corner, and in the 62nd with a shot by Djuricic inside the box that deflected off defenders.
Later in the game, Rafa Benitez tried to change the flow by making substitutions and tactical adjustments, but Panathinaikos could not avoid defeat at the Panthessaliko.
Volos: Siampanis, Soria (87’ Tasiouras), Fortuna, Hermansson, Kargas, Migas (61’ Pinci), Koba, Juanpi (87’ Triantafyllou), Lamprou, Tzoka (70’ Bouzoukis), Hamulic (87’ McNee).
Panathinaikos: Dragowski, Kotsiras (76’ Jedvaj), Kyriakopoulos, Ingason (76’ Palmer-Brown), Toumba, Chirivella, Cerin (76’ Siopis), Djuricic, Tete, Zaroury (64’ Pantovic), Swiderski (85’ Jeremejeff).
