A European Panathinaikos made its comeback on Swedish soil! Rafa Benítez’ Greens celebrated a very important victory over Malmö by 1–0, doubling their wins in the League Phase of the Europa League, where they now have six points.

The match at Malmö New Stadium was difficult and demanding, but the Shamrock players gave their all to achieve a win they desperately needed — both because they were coming off two consecutive defeats in the competition (against Go Ahead Eagles and Feyenoord) and because they had also lost to Volos in the league.

The Greens — with 1,200 of their fans turning the stadium into a “Leoforos” — put in a huge effort. They defended effectively whenever Malmö applied pressure, keeping a clean sheet, while offensively they had a missed penalty, a shot that hit the post, and 2–3 good chances before Filip Djuricic scored the “golden” goal that sealed the win.

Panathinaikos struggled during the first ten minutes, when Malmö threatened twice through Rosengren and Duric, but Lafont was alert, making key saves. After that, the Greens improved significantly and took control, creating their first chance in the 14th minute through Tete.

Before the 20th minute, Panathinaikos came close to scoring. After high pressing, Chirivella stole the ball near Malmö’s box, and Swiderski was brought down inside the area by Busuladzic. The penalty was awarded, but the Polish striker’s 20th-minute shot was saved by Elborg, who dived to his left.

In the 32nd minute, Kyriakopoulos tried a diagonal shot from outside the box, but Malmö’s goalkeeper saved again. Malmö became dangerous in the 38th minute on the counterattack, but Palmer-Brown made a decisive tackle. In the 44th, Lafont once again denied Jonsson to keep the score 0–0 at halftime.

In the 55th minute, Panathinaikos threatened again from a Tete free kick, with Palmer-Brown’s attempt being blocked. In the 63rd, Pantovic — who had replaced Swiderski at halftime — was clearly fouled inside the box by Duric, but the referee ignored the incident.

The Greens continued to dominate the second half, and in the 67th minute, after a great combination, Tetteh curled a brilliant shot that hit the crossbar and bounced on the goal line! In the 70th, Kyriakopoulos tried again with a diagonal shot that was deflected for a corner, and in the 76th, from his cross, Djuricic’s shot went wide.

Completely dominating, Panathinaikos finally found the goal they deserved in the 85th minute. After another Kyriakopoulos cross from the left and a blocked attempt by Tserin, Djuricic picked up the ball and finished perfectly to make it 0–1.

Malmö: Elborg, Stringer, Jonsson, Duric, Busanello, Rosengren (92’ Lewicki), Busuladzic (65’ Berg), Skogmar, Ekong (65’ Suma), Bolin (82’ Vecchia), Haksabanovic.

Panathinaikos: Lafont, Kotsiras, Kyriakopoulos, Toumba, Palmer-Brown, Siopis (60’ Cerin), Chirivella, Tete (82’ Bakasetas), Zaroury, Djuricic, Swiderski (46’ Pantovic).