Panathinaikos fought a tremendous battle. They were made to work hard and pushed to their limits, but ultimately did what they had to do, securing an important qualification in Sofia. The Greens defeated CSKA 1948 2-1 and sealed their place in the Conference League play-offs, where they will face the team eliminated from the Besiktas–Hradec Kralove tie in the third qualifying round of the Europa League.
Summer qualifiers are never an easy task. And given that the Shamrock have no second chance this season, having entered the Conference League in the second qualifying round, the process carries even greater significance for the team, with their European future at stake in a series of do-or-die encounters.
The first mission against Paksi, as well as the second against CSKA 1948, ended successfully. Now, only the third and decisive step remains for the Greens to secure their place in the League Phase of the Conference League.
Jacob Neestrup’s players took to the pitch from the very first minute with determination, passion and a clear desire to leave Sofia with qualification secured. And they succeeded, giving everything they had, even though it took 120 minutes to get the job done.
The significance of this qualification is even greater for three reasons. Firstly, Panathinaikos’ opening goal was entirely the work of new signing Levi Garcia, who marked his debut with a goal. Secondly, the goal that ultimately secured qualification came in extra time from last season’s hugely unfortunate Cyriel Dessers, who scored on his return to action for the Shamrock after 240 days. And thirdly, more than 1,600 Panathinaikos supporters stood by the team, backed the players throughout and celebrated wildly at the final whistle, creating a red-hot atmosphere in the stands.
This season’s Panathinaikos is being built on new foundations, and every victory and every qualification represents another building block in the creation of a team that wants — and has the ability — to play a leading role.
The Shamrock took control of the match from the outset, although it was the hosts who threatened first. Pena reacted superbly in the 7th minute to keep out Rusev’s curling effort. The Greens responded with a double chance in the 10th minute through Van Drongelen and Andino, before Kyriakopoulos tried his luck from distance a minute later.
As the match progressed, the tempo dropped, with CSKA opting to sit deep and play at a slower pace, in contrast to Panathinaikos, who looked to move the ball forward quickly and directly. The Greens had good opportunities in the 27th minute with a Garcia header, in the 39th with a Rastoder effort and again in the 44th when Zaroury fired towards goal, only for Marinov to clear with his legs. Nevertheless, the score remained 0-0 at half-time.
The second half began with a huge opportunity for Panathinaikos. Just 20 seconds after the restart, Levi Garcia unleashed a powerful long-range shot. Marinov failed to hold it cleanly but immediately recovered to save his team from a certain goal, denying Andino, who pounced on the rebound but was unable to score.
Jacob Neestrup’s side came out with tremendous intensity after the break, pressing high and relentlessly, and their efforts were rewarded. In the 60th minute, Garcia refused to give up on the play, won possession, drove into the penalty area and finished superbly from a tight angle to open the scoring for the Shamrock!
Shortly afterwards, Dessers returned to competitive action after almost eight months, replacing Rastoder, and came close to scoring in the 68th minute with a close-range effort. Marinov, however, once again came to his team’s rescue. The Greens went close to making it 2-0 in the 81st minute as well, when a powerful Jagusic strike forced the opposing goalkeeper into another save.
Instead of Panathinaikos finding a second goal, however, CSKA 1948 equalized in the 87th minute through Dvali, who finished from around the penalty spot to send the match into extra time, levelling the aggregate score after the 1-1 draw in the first leg.
That was when Dessers’ big moment arrived. In the 94th minute, following an excellent combination between Kyriakopoulos and Jagusic and a fine cross from the Greek full-back, Dessers kept his composure and finished from close range to make it 2-1 and seal qualification for the Greens.
CSKA 1948: Marinov, Medina (106’ Grivits), Hofmann, Dvali, Gasevic, Maciel, Cuéllar (101’ Krebs), Zemzemi (71’ Franco), Rusev (83’ Sombrero), Meyer (83’ Vitanov), A. Iliev (65’ Diallo).
Panathinaikos: Pena, De Vrij, Katris, Van Drongelen, Zaroury (80’ Touba), Kyriakopoulos (105+1’ Kontouris), Camara, Chirivella (88’ Cerin), Garcia (65’ Jagusic), Andino (88’ Taborda), Rastoder (65’ Dessers).
