In a match that took place at a fully crowded OAKA under the heavy shadow of the tragic loss of George Baldock, Panathinaikos paid its inaction and its errors and as a result suffered a heavy defeat (1-4) against Chelsea for the 2nd matchday of the League Phase of the Conference League. Diego Alonso’s Greens, although in good spirits and fighting up the pitch, showed a lack of concentration in the defensive area, suffered a total blackout at the start of the second half and could not avoid the defeat.

Possibly everything would have been different, however, if the players of the Shamrock had been effective at the start of the match. Panathinaikos only got a goal in the 2nd minute as, after a foul by Mladenovic, Jedvaj got a header into the heart of Chelsea’s defense but Jorgensen made a save in the corner. The Greens also threatened in the 4th minute with a nice shot by Ounahi, which ended up just out.

Despite the Green’s good start, it was Chelsea who opened the scoring at their first opportunity. In the 22nd minute, the Londoners played quickly on the counter-attack and Mudrik, who moved from the left, laid for Felix, who slotted home for 0-1. Chelsea also threatened in the 28th minute but Dragowski saved Fernandez’ shot. The visitors maintained the lead until the end of the half as they managed to control the rhythm of the game preventing any offensive attempts by Panathinaikos’ players.

Although the Greens went into the second half in the mood to chase an equalizer, Chelsea quickly found a second goal. In the 49th minute, Neto made a cross from the right and Mudrik, who made a move at the second post, made it 0-2 by a header. Diego Alonso’s men tried to fight back but Chelsea scored for the third time (and) with the help of luck as Felix’s attempted shot met the leg of Maksimovic, deflected and entered the net making it 0-3. In a very bad period for the Shamrock, Chelsea found a fourth goal. In the 59th minute, on Mancini’s hand inside the area after Felix’s cross, the Londoners won a penalty, which Encuncu executed accurately, making the score 0-4.

Despite the heavy score, the Greens continued their effort and in the 69th minute they reacted by finding the way to the net. Tete opened up nicely on the right for Vagiannidis, who by a superbly curled parallel cross marked the incoming Pelistri at the second post, who slotted home. In the 81st minute, Panathinaikos touched a second goal as Disassi in his attempt to clear, and under pressure from Sporar, almost sent the ball into his team’s net.

Before the start of the match, the memory of our beloved George Baldock was honored. Musician Ian Stratis and his band sang Starman, adapting the chorus to the lyrics of the Sheffield Friends’ slogan for George. 32 children from the Academies of Panathinaikos raised banners with the number 32, while all the fans present at the stadium were given cards with the number 32. Before the kick off, a minute of silence was observed…

Panathinaikos: Dragowski, Kotsiras, Mladenovic (60′ Vagiannidis), Jedvaj, Schenkeveld, Maksimovic, Cerin, Ounahi (80′ Bakasetas), Pellistri (71′ Djuricic), Mancini (60′ Tete), Jeremejeff (71′ Sporar).

Chelsea: Jorgensen; Cucurella, Disasi, Badiashile, Veiga, Enzo (71′ Casadei), Dewsbury-Hall (77′ Chukwuemeka), Neto (62′ George), Felix, Mudryk, Nkunku (62′ Guiu).