Panathinaikos reacted, showed character, celebrated a 2–1 comeback vixtory over Samsunspor at OAKA stadium and now heads to Samsun to seal qualification to the League Phase of the Europa League. The Greens were better from the start, but the Turkish team took the lead against the run of play. Rui Vitória’s players and the fans of the Shamrock never lost faith in victory, which finally came thanks to a great comeback and goals by Kyriakopoulos and Palmer-Brown, who both scored for the first time with the club. The first step towards the big qualification has been made. Now, 90 minutes remain in the second leg on August 28 in Turkey.
The Greens showed their intentions early on. They created their first real threat in the 5th minute after pressing high and winning the ball, which ended up with Swiderski. The Polish forward crossed from the right, and Bakasetas’ superb overhead volley was blocked by Thomasson, preventing the goal. As time went on, Panathinaikos increasingly took control of the game. Between the 20th and 30th minutes, they threatened three times but failed to score. In the 21st, Tete shot left-footed from outside the area, but Koçuk made a stretching save. In the 22nd, after a fine individual effort from Pellistri, Swiderski turned and shot diagonally, but the ball deflected off Satka and went out for a corner. In the 28th, from a free-kick by Bakasetas, from a wide angle, Koçuk was surprised but cleared with his foot. The rebound fell to Toubá, whose volley went over the crossbar. Despite Panathinaikos’ dominance, the teams went into halftime at 0–0.
The second half began with Samsunspor threatening for the first time in the 50th minute, when Ntcham fired a long-range strike that Dragowski saved. From the resulting corner, Thomasson rose at the near post and scored to give the Turkish side the lead. The Greens needed a bit of time to recover, but after the 59th minute and the introduction of Ioannidis and Calabria, they stepped on the gas for the comeback. They hit the woodwork twice, first with a Swiderski header in the 64th, and then with a long-range shot from Toubá in the 65th, before finally getting the goal they deserved. In the 66th, after a Tete corner and a partial clearance, the ball fell to Kyriakopoulos’ left foot, and he unleashed an unstoppable thunderbolt from inside the box. The ball smashed into the net, and OAKA erupted.
Kyriakopoulos’ goal was the spark Panathinaikos needed. They threatened again with Calabria in the 74th minute. Moments later, Tete took a corner, and Palmer-Brown, dominant in the air, rose to head home and complete the turnaround. With momentum on their side, Panathinaikos pushed for a third goal, but it didn’t come despite Rui Vitória’s men’s efforts. At the final whistle, the Greens celebrated their first official win of the season in normal time, while the crowd applauded warmly, urging them on towards qualification in Samsun on the night of August 28…
Panathinaikos: Dragowski, Kotsiras (59’ Calabria), Kyriakopoulos, Toubá, Palmer-Brown, Chirivella, Cerin, Bakasetas (59’ Ioannidis), Pellistri (75’ Zaroury), Tete, Swiderski (85’ Bregu).
Samsunspor: Koçuk, Yavru, Satka, Van Drongelen, Thomasson, Ntcham, Makumbu (85’ Soner), Yuksel (67’ Cift), Dimata (75’ Gonul), Mouandilmadji, Emre (67’ Muja).
