Panathinaikos was serious, effective and easily sealed their qualification to the quarter-finals of the Greek Cup. The Greens prevailed – as during the first match in Peristeri – with a 2-1 win over Atromitos and will face Olympiacos in the next phase of the competition in a double match. The first match will take place at OAKA stadium on January 15, while the second leg will take place at G. Karaiskakis on February 5.
Rui Vitoria’s team entered the field with determination, did not rest on the victory of the first match, and with two goals from Pellistri and Bakasetas in the first half they sealed their qualification. At the same time, the Portuguese coach found the opportunity, on the one hand, to give players a break in view of the demanding continuation, and on the other hand, to offer playing time to players who have not played enough or at all, such as Palmer Brown, who returned to action after 15 months!
The game started ideally for the Greens, who took the lead early on. Just in the 4th minute, Shmrock’s players developed amazingly. Bakasetas opened up wonderfully in the space for Pellistri, who poured himself into the counterattack and with an ideal finish achieved 1-0.
In the 23rd minute, the Greens collaborated again in an excellent way with Jeremejeff bringing Bakasetas in front of Koselev, who repelled the team captain’s effort. In the development of the phase, Pellistri shot hard but the ball instinctively moved away from the body of Muntes. The second goal was not long in coming for the Clover, which in 32’ made it 2-0. After a corner-pass from Bakasetas to Cerin, the Slovenian turned the ball back to “Baka”, who caught a cross-shot with many deflections, fooling Koselev, who saw the ball end up in the net.
The first half ended with Atromitos creating its only chance in the 44 minute. However, Lodygin was on hand to block Athanasiou’s shot.
The second 45 minutes opened with a great opportunity for the Greens, who had a crossbar with Jeremejeff after a nice cross from Mladenovic, while in the development of the phase Pellistri was unable to send the ball into the net. Instead of 3-0, it finally became 2-1 as in the 50th minute Athanasiou took advantage of Ounahi’s parallel ball and with a shot into the right corner of Lodygin, scored for Atromitos. Panathinaikos tried to respond in the 60th minute with a strong direct free kick by Bakasetas from a long distance, but Koselev saved it to a corner. After that, the match was played at a lower tempo, resulting in no other notable phases. In any case, the Greens maintained control throughout the match, were not threatened in any way, while Rui Vitoria was able to give time to players with less playing time. The return of Palmer Brown to the field after September 28, 2023 is very good news for Panathinaikos.
On the other hand, Jedvaj and Ounahi left with injury problems.
Panathinaikos: Lodygin, Kotsiras, Mladenovic, Jedvaj (72’ Palmer Brown), Schenkeveld, Cerin, Ounahi (52’ Maksimovic), Bakasetas (87’ Zeka), Pellistri (86’ Nikas), Mancini (72’ Limnios), Jeremejeff.
Atromitos: Koselev, Athanasiou, Stavropoulos, Brorsson (61′ Tsakmakis), Mountes, Tsingaras, Kaloskamis (72′ Baku), Pomonis (61′ Tzovaras), Karamanis, Warda (46′ Ouedraogo), Van Weert (61′ Carlitos).
