Panathinaikos lost 2-1 at the home of Lens, in France, but the magic goal scored by Fotis Ioannidis keeps the hopes of qualifying for the League Stage of the Conference League alive.

The Greens paid for their mistakes at the start of the match and found themselves losing 2-0, but got back into the game and now go for the big rematch in OAKA stadium on the evening of August 29.

Lens surprised Panathinaikos at the start of the match. Only in the 4th minute, after a quick counter-attack, the ball changed sides and ended up to Frankovski, who neatly slotted Dragovski scoring for 1-0.

In the 21st minute, the numerical balance in the match changed as Medina was sent off with a straight red (after the use of VAR) for a hard foul on Bakasetas.

At the 24th minute Lens scored for a second time. Against the flow of the match and while the Shamrock was taken control, the French team took advantage of a quick counter-attack and Said make the score 2-0.

Diego Alonso kept the same line-up and right at the start of the second half, Panathinaikos reduced the score to 2-1 with a wonderful goal! In the 54th minute, Ioannidis took the ball several meters outside the wide area, avoided five Lens players with an amazing drive, entered the opponent’s area and shot perfectly scoring an unimaginable goal! It was his first goal of the season and it was fantastic!

In the 67th minute, Alonso entered Vagiannidis and Pellistri into the pitch. Pellistri , made his debut with the Greens and immediately showed evidence of his great talent. In fact, from his own action in the 86th minute, Panathinaikos won a penalty at the hands of Kusanov. Though, after VAR intervention, the referee was called in to see the phase on the video and eventually overturned his original decision, denying the Greens the chance to equalize.

Now Panathinaikos is obliged to make the big qualification step in OAKA…

Lens: Samba, Gradit, Medina, Danso, Frankowski, Thomasson (90′ Mendy), Diouf, Machado (90′ Chaves), Da Costa (26′ Khusanov), Sotoca, Said (70′ Lascary).

Panathinaikos: Dragowski, Kotsiras (67′ Vagiannidis), Ingason, Jedvaj, Mladenovic, Arao (80′ Maksimovic), Cerin (85′ Jeremejjef), Tete (67′ Pellistri), Djuricic (80′ Limnios), Bakasetas, Ioannidis.