On 21 September, one of the matches of the Europa League in football took place. Panathinaikos (Athens) and Villarreal (Spain) met.
Europa League
Panathinaikos (Athens) - Villarreal (Spain) - 2:0 ( 1:0)
Goals: F. Ioannidis (38), Sh. Ioannidis (38), Sporar (78)
Warnings: Kiko (64), A. Serlot (74), Baena (84), Pedraza (87), Aitor Cantalapiedra (89).
Panathinaikos defeated Villarreal in a thrilling UEFA Europa League encounter at the Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium. The home side showed their dominance from the start and secured a deserved 1-0 victory at half-time and 2-0 in regulation time. In the 30th minute Villarreal made the first substitution: D. Suarez replaced I. Pino, trying to change their luck. However, in the 38th minute Panathinaikos took the lead when F. Ioannidis headed the ball into the net, much to the delight of the crowd. At the start of the second half Villarreal made a second substitution in the 60th minute: B. Brereton Diaz replaced A. Sorlota. The Spaniards continued to look for an opportunity to equalise and in the 61st minute made two more quick substitutions: S. Comesan replaced D. Parejo and M. Trigueros replaced G. Moreno. In the 64th minute, Villarreal's Kiko received a yellow card and the tension in the match began to grow.
Panathinaikos responded by making the first two substitutions in the 68th minute, replacing F. Ioannidis with A. Sporar and D. Manchikos with A. Mancidis. Sporar and D. Mancini for T. Vilhena. Villena. Villarreal's frustration increased when A. Sorloth received a yellow card in the 74th minute. In the 76th minute Panathinaikos made two more substitutions: R. Perez replaced V. Arao. Perez replaced V. Arao and Bernard replaced F. Djuricic. Villarreal tried to turn the situation around by releasing J.L. Morales instead of A. Baena in the 77th minute. However, in the 78th minute, A. Sporar doubled Panathinaikos' lead. In the final stage of the match, Villarreal players A. Baena and A. Pedraza received yellow cards in the 84th and 87th minutes respectively. In the 88th minute Panathinaikos made the last substitution, replacing S. Palacios with A. Cantalapiedra. Cantalapiedra. However, Kantalapiedra's joy was short-lived - in the 89th minute he received a yellow card. The match ended with a deserved 2-0 victory for Panathinaikos. The hosts' clinical play and solid defence proved too difficult for Villarreal. It was an unforgettable evening for Panathinaikos and its fans, who celebrated a deserved victory in this UEFA Europa League match.
In the next round the following matches await the opponents: Maccabi X - Panathinaikos, Villarreal - Rennes.
| Panathinaikos | Villarreal | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Kicks to the goal | 1 |
| 13 | Kicks | 4 |
| 2 | Blocked kicks | 1 |
| 9 | Penalty kicks | 3 |
| 4 | Kicks from outside the penalty box | 1 |
| 11 | Offences | 10 |
| 6 | Corners | 4 |
| 2 | Offsides | 1 |
| 42% | Ball possession | 58% |
| 1 | Yellow cards | 4 |
| 0 | Red cards | 0 |
| 1 | Keeper saves | 1 |
| 384 | Total assists | 525 |
| 306 | Accurate assists | 451 |
| 80% | Accuracy of passes | 86% |