Panathinaikos fought hard but was defeated 3-1 by Fiorentina, marking the end of their European campaign in Florence. The Greens put up a great effort but couldn’t achieve a result at the Artemio Franchi that would have secured their first quarter-final appearance in a European competition in 22 years. Despite the passionate support of their fans, Panathinaikos was eliminated in the Round of 16 of the Conference League.
The performance across both matches, especially in the second halves at OAKA and Artemio Franchi, was a positive takeaway for the team. However, there is a bitter feeling as Rui Vitória’s squad showed they had the potential to qualify.
Panathinaikos started the match well, controlling the tempo. However, Fiorentina took the lead in the 12th minute without creating a significant chance. Mandragora fired a long-range shot after a clearance from a corner, sending the ball into the net for 1-0.
Fiorentina threatened again in the 16th minute with a shot from Mandragora inside the box, but Dragowski made a great save. The Greens balanced the game but conceded another goal unexpectedly in the 24th minute. Gudmundsson shot inside the area, and after a deflection off Arao’s foot, the ball found the net for 2-0.
The second goal weighed on Panathinaikos’ players, who faced further threats in the 25th and 29th minutes from Kean and Mandragora, but Dragowski responded well. In the 35th minute, Kean’s header narrowly missed the target, while in the 45th minute, Dragowski made a crucial save in a one-on-one with Kean to prevent a third goal.
Panathinaikos’ best chance in the first half came in the 41st minute when Tete’s curling shot from outside the box barely missed.
At the start of the second half, Vitória made tactical changes, introducing Ioannidis in the 57th minute and shifting to a three-center-back formation. The change had an immediate impact, as in the 58th minute, Ioannidis nearly scored. After Dragowski’s long pass, Ioannidis controlled the ball, entered the box, and attempted to finish past De Gea, but Comuzzo’s intervention resulted in a corner instead.
Panathinaikos maintained control and came close again in the 65th minute when Arao’s header was cleared for a corner by Folorunsho. In the 67th minute, Ioannidis set up Tette, but his shot inside the box was blocked by a last-ditch tackle from Fagioli.
Another golden chance arrived in the 72nd minute when Vagiannidis, after an excellent cross from Mladenovic, was in prime position to score, but Gosens intervened just in time.
Instead of 2-1, Fiorentina made it 3-0 in the 75th minute. Despite not having threatened at all in the second half, the hosts struck on the counterattack, with Kean finishing past Dragowski.
The Greens did not give up and pulled one back in the 81st minute. Unai was brought down in the box by Fagioli, and the referee awarded a penalty. Ioannidis converted, placing the ball into De Gea’s top left corner for his 10th goal of the season and 50th overall with Panathinaikos.
In the final minutes, Vitória’s players gave everything in search of a goal to send the match into extra time. Despite their efforts, the second goal never came, and Panathinaikos bid farewell to Europe. In stoppage time, Mladenovic was sent off after receiving a second yellow card.
Fiorentina: De Gea, Pongracic, Comuzzo, Ranieri (79′ Zaniolo), Dodo (90+4′ Moreno), Gosens, Mandragora (79′ Adli), Cataldi (60′ Folorunsho), Fagioli, Gudmundsson (60′ Beltrán), Kean.
Panathinaikos : Dragowski, Vagiannidis, Mladenovic, Ingason, Arao (87′ Cerin), Siopis, Maksimovic, Ounahi, Djuricic (57′ Ioannidis), Tete (87′ Pellistri), Swiderski (74′ Jeremejeff).
