Panathinaikos were dominant once again! Jacob Neestrup’s Greens defeated CSKA Sofia 2-1 at OAKA and celebrated their third consecutive win in the Conference League League Phase and their seventh straight victory in all competitions. At the same time, they extended their unbeaten run in European competitions to nine matches, setting a new club record.
The Shamrock continued on the same path it has followed since the start of the season, showing both its quality on the pitch and the character the team has built over the past few months.
CSKA threatened in the 7th minute with a dangerous shot from Yordanov, but Peña was alert and produced an excellent save at his near post. Panathinaikos responded in the 12th minute with a chance for Andino, who was unable to beat the CSKA goalkeeper.
The Greens came close to scoring in the 27th minute through Levi García and again in the 29th minute when Calabria went one-on-one with the goalkeeper—both chances coming from Rastoder passes—but Lapoukhov made crucial saves for his team on both occasions.
The Shamrock missed another great opportunity in the 37th minute when Taborda pressed, won the ball and played an excellent through pass for Rastoder, who found himself one-on-one with the opposing goalkeeper. He tried to score with a chipped finish, but Lapoukhov gathered the ball.
Panathinaikos’ pressure eventually paid off, as the goal the team fully deserved arrived in the 41st minute. The ball was moved brilliantly in a fine combination between Levi García and Taborda, who laid it off with a backheel for Calabria. The Italian made a striker’s run and finished perfectly to make it 1-0.
Against the run of play, CSKA Sofia found the equaliser. In the 44th minute, following a corner, Dinis Almeida struck the ball first time to make it 1-1.
The second half began with the Greens threatening through a Rastoder header in the 48th minute and a Kangwa shot in the 50th. Jacob Neestrup made a double substitution in the 64th minute, bringing on Camara and Tetteh. In the 68th minute, Tetteh played a low ball across the heart of the penalty area, where Taborda bundled it into the net with his body.
Panathinaikos managed their lead effectively until the final whistle, were not threatened at any point and sealed their third consecutive victory in the Conference League League Phase.
Panathinaikos: Iñaki Peña, Davide Calabria, Giorgos Kyriakopoulos, Stefan de Vrij, Rick van Drongelen, Imrân Louza (64’ Étienne Camara), Kings Kangwa, Vicente Taborda, Levi García (76’ Cyriel Dessers), Santino Andino (85’ Adriano Jagušić), Elmin Rastoder (64’ Andreas Tetteh).
CSKA Sofia: Fedor Lapoukhov, Teodor Ivanov, Jean-Philippe Gbamin, Dinis Almeida, Pastor (55’ Tamimou Ouorou), Angelo Martino, Stefano Sensi (70’ Mohamed Brahimi), Isaac Solet (46’ Bruno Jordão), Andrey Yordanov (80’ Joel Zwarts), Ioannis Pittas (46’ Maks Ebong), Leandro Godoy.
