Greek journalists did not pay much attention to the poisoning story. Most of them wrote about Panathinaikos' return to European football and the group stage, and that this was very important not only for the club itself but also for the whole country, as there are very few clubs in Greece that can compete in European competitions. That's why the Panathinaikos crisis has had a big impact on Greek football. In addition, Jovanovic's team will earn substantial prize money from UEFA and can showcase their players in a prestigious tournament, regardless of whether it is the Champions League or the Europa League.
As for Dnipro-1, local journalists believe that the quick goal played a cruel joke on Panathinaikos, who believed in their victory too soon. The Ukrainian club looked decent, but still wasn't strong enough to reach the next round. However, it will be very difficult for Panathinaikos to play Marseille as well.
SDNA.
"They played with fire, but they made it!" - SDNA journalist writes that if Panathinaikos plays like this against Marseille, there will be no chance of reaching the next round, as it is a much higher level opponent than Dnipro-1, which forgave serious mistakes in the Greek defence but still made everyone nervous.
"Greece, Europe, Panathinaikos! It's a fact. The club is returning to the European group stages after six full years and is ready to surprise everyone there. "Dnipro-1 fought like a lion and walked away with a 2-2 draw from a packed and glittering stadium, but Panathinaikos found the strength to respond with two goals from Sporar (15', 70') to confirm that they deserve to get the coveted ticket to the next round of Champions League qualifying.
Qualification to the next stage of the Champions League marks Panathinaikos' return to European groups for the first time since the 2016-17 season, as it guarantees their presence in the Europa League group stage. At the very least.
Panathinaikos will face Marseille in the next round of the Champions League. Aubameyang and his company are hoping for a small miracle. The only thing that can be said for sure is that such football is "forbidden" against the French.
"Panathinaikos came into the game decisively at the start of the match with the aim of scoring a quick goal and succeeded in the 15th minute when Sporar took advantage of a Ukrainian defensive error. It is an oxymoron that Sporran's superb goal, instead of motivating the team, relaxed the Greens, which helped the belligerent Ukrainians, who rallied around their big star Dovbyk, who scored a beautiful goal and showed great class.
The first half ended 1-1, and a clearly tense Panathinaikos made many individual mistakes and did not control the tempo of the game as much as they would have liked (Dnipro had 61%-39% possession).
When the Ukrainians scored the second goal, it became alarming. But the Greens were able to pull themselves together and score a goal in reply. And again, Sporar scored. The intrigue remained until the Ukrainians were down to ten men after receiving a red card. In the 89th minute, Ioannidis was very close to making it 3-2, but his shot was not accurate enough.
"Panathinaikos won and gave the fans a European autumn, but still, it is worrying before the matches with Marseille. "Dnipro-1 showed that the Greens have many weaknesses that the French can exploit."
Gazzetta.gr
"Panathinaikos gives Greece hope" - the journalist of the Gazzetta.gr website emphasises not only the victory and reaching the group stage of a European Cup tournament, but also says that Greece missed the strong Panathinaikos that used to help the country to be in the most prestigious place in European football.
"Panathinaikos is here again. "After a 2-2 draw with Dnipro-1, Shamrock confirmed their place in the third qualifying round of the Champions League, where they will face Marseille in the fight for the play-offs. "The Greens continue to dream of the Champions League, but as of today, they know that they are returning to the group stage of European competitions. And the truth is that seven years was a long time. After the autumn of the 2016/17 season and that Europa League group with Ajax, Standard and Celta, we will see Panathinaikos in the group stage again.
Ivan Jovanovic's team will play at least in the Europa League group, while they have every reason to hope for a "breakthrough" against the French in Marseille. This Panathinaikos team looks ready for a big test.
With their draw today, the Greens added extra points to Greece, lifting our country, which is currently ranked 19th in the coefficient table. And we use the word "currently" because Croatia is not far behind, with Dinamo Zagreb playing Astana in Kazakhstan, followed by a Europa League night on Thursday, where PAOK and Aris from Greece will play, as well as our country's direct rivals fighting their own battles.
In fact, the absence of Panathinaikos in European competitions over the years has not only hurt the club itself. It also hurt Greece. Thanks to the Cloverleafs, our country was at the top of the UEFA rankings at the dawn of the second millennium. Thanks to Panathinaikos, Greece even sent three teams to the highest club tournament. What may seem very distant today, however, will never cease to make it clear that Greece needs Panathinaikos. And now that the Greens have returned, Greece can once again look to the future with great optimism. We can hope that we will rise a little higher again. It will take a lot of effort and, of course, a similar presence in the coming years for the Clovers to return to the high floors of the club standings, but what is certain is that Panathinaikos is back! And no one can deny that now."
Nova Sports
"Panathinaikos has been under stress, but now it can prepare for Marseille in peace," says a journalist from Nova Sports about the difficult victory of the Greek club, which at one point found itself in an unpleasant situation and made fans worry about reaching the next round.
"Panathinaikos accomplished its task, albeit with anxiety, and with a 2-2 draw with Dnipro, it advanced to the next qualifying round of the Champions League, while also securing a place in the group stage of the Europa League.
"Panathinaikos did what they had to do to get to the next round. A 3-1 scoreline in favour of the Greens set a festive tone for the match, and Jovanovic's men made it even easier by scoring in the 15th minute. Of course, the Ukrainian players did not give up and continued to fight. "Panathinaikos continued to control the ball, but in the 23rd minute Dnipro equalised thanks to an individual effort by Dovbyk, who went through the entire Panathinaikos defence and scored a goal.
In the second half, the Ukrainians continued to attack and shoot at the goal of Brignoli, who saved the team. However, the goalkeeper did not help when Sarapiy converted a Dnipro-1 chance. "Panathinaikos seemed to go a little crazy with excitement, and the Ukrainians tried to score another goal, but they stayed away from Brignoli's goal. However, the Greens were far from equalising.
But this lasted until the 70th minute, when Sporran again found an opportunity to score a goal that removed all questions. In the 75th minute, Dnipro-1 were down to ten men as Tanchyk received a straight red card for a very hard tackle on Juancar.
"Panathinaikos advances to the next round and will meet Marseille there. The opponent is even more serious than Dnipro-1, but in the worst case scenario, the Greens will definitely play in the group stage of the Europa League, which also seems like a good option."
Anton Prokopov
