Despite countless sporting issues, Panathinaikos fought a great battle, played with a plan and great spirit, rose to the occasion and secured a draw (1-1) against Roma in the final matchday of the Europa League Phase. The European journey of the “Shamrock” continues in the competition’s playoffs, as Rafa Benítez’s Greens finished in 20th place and will face Viktoria Plzen in the next round.
Despite the many absences that arose, the match against Roma turned into a game under special circumstances. Nevertheless, the Greens gave everything and proved that even in difficult times, they can stand tall, worthy of the club’s great European legacy.
Roma attempted to surprise Panathinaikos almost from kickoff (1’) with a shot by Tsimikas, which Lafont saved, while in the 7th minute Bakasetas made a crucial interception to prevent Pellegrini from scoring from a favorable position. Roma were also dangerous in the 11th minute when Ziolkowski broke behind the defense but missed his finish.
The numerical balance changed in the 13th minute when Lafont launched a long kick towards Pantovic, who moved cleverly behind Mancini. Mancini pulled him down by the shirt as he was through on goal. The referee initially showed a yellow card, but after VAR review, correctly sent off the Italian defender.
Panathinaikos created a great chance in the 33rd minute after a brilliant through ball by Bakasetas to Pantovic, who was stopped just before finishing by Cristante. The Greens came close again in the 37th minute with an outstanding curling shot by Katris — playing on the right wing — which struck the crossbar.
The first half ended 0-0, and Panathinaikos entered the second half with even greater determination. They took control and patiently waited for their moment, which came in the 58th minute. After a poor back pass by Gilardi, Tabornda intercepted, dribbled past the Italian defender, and with a perfect finish scored for 1-0 — his first European goal!
Against the run of play and without having threatened in the meantime, Roma equalized in the 80th minute with a header from Ziolkowski. Panathinaikos pushed until the end for the winning goal, and had a good chance with Zaroury in the 89th minute, but the score remained unchanged.
This match against Roma will remain forever engraved in the memory of Giorgos Katris, who, returning to Panathinaikos, made his professional debut in the green jersey in a major European match. The same applies to young Iasonas Skarlatidis and Sotiris Terzis, K19 players who came off the bench and also experienced their baptism of fire.
Three more academy players were also included in the squad: Angelos Vyntra, Nektarios Kaloskamis, and Christos Geitonas gained valuable experience by joining the first team for this match.
Panathinaikos lineup: Lafont, Ingason, Palmer-Brown, Touba (73’ Skarlatidis), Katris, Kyriakopoulos, Siopis (58’ Renato Sanches), Bakasetas, Zaroury, Taborda (90+3’ Terzis), Pantovic.
Roma lineup: Gollini, Mancini, Ziolkowski, Ghilardi, Celik (64’ Rensch), El Aynaoui, Cristante (64’ Wesley), Tsimikas (87’ Angelino), Pellegrini (67’ Della Rocca), Pisilli, Soule (46’ Ndicka).
