On 5 October one of the matches of the Europa League in football took place. Maccabi X (Haifa) and Panathinaikos (Athens) met.
Europa League
Maccabi X (Haifa) - Panathinaikos (Athens ) - 0:0 (0:0)
Warnings: D. Saba (3), Pierre Cornu (55), F. Ioannidis (56), Djuricic (60), Daniel Sandgren (71).
The highly anticipated UEFA Europa League match between Maccabi Haifa and Panathinaikos took place recently at the Sammy Ofer Stadium. The first half ended in a goalless draw, with both teams scoring one point each. Throughout the half, the players showed great skill and determination, but the solid defence of both teams prevented any breakthroughs. The second half started with a few early changes in the Maccabi Haifa line-up. In the 46th minute, E. Shuranov was replaced by T. Chery, giving the team a new attacking option.
However, Panathinaikos quickly responded with a yellow card in the 55th minute, shown to P. Kornoud. Both teams continued to fight, but Panathinaikos received the next warning. In the 56th minute, F. Ioannidis received a yellow card. The physicality of the match continued to grow and after just four minutes Panathinaikos' F. Djuricic was also suspended. As the game moved into the final quarter, Panathinaikos decided to make two quick substitutions in the 67th minute. A. Nesta Serin replaced F. Djuricic and A. Sporar came on in place of F. Ioannidis, adding fresh legs and new attacking options to the line-up. In response, Maccabi Haifa made their second substitution of the match: D. Saba was replaced by F. Piero. Time was running out and both teams tried hard to break the deadlock. In the 68th minute, Maccabi Haifa made two more substitutions: Shaw replaced A. Mohamed and D. Saba replaced F. Piero. These substitutions gave Maccabi Haifa a new energy. Despite their best efforts, both teams faced disappointment later on, with Maccabi Haifa's D. Sundgren receiving a yellow card in the 71st minute. The three remaining substitutions for both teams were made in the final minutes of the match. In the 76th minute Maccabi Haifa introduced D. David instead of L. Refaelov, and in the 78th minute Panathinaikos introduced G. Kotsiras instead of G. Vagiannidis and D. Mancini instead of S. Palacios. As time ran out, Maccabi Haifa made their last substitution in the 84th minute, with A. Halaili replacing M. Kandila. Panathinaikos followed suit, replacing Juankar with F. Mladenovic in the 88th minute. However, neither team managed to get their way and the match ended in a 0-0 draw. Although the match did not bring the fans any goals, it showed the determination and resilience of both Maccabi Haifa and Panathinaikos. Both teams will now have to regroup and analyse their performances in preparation for their upcoming UEFA Europa League matches.
The following matches await the opponents in the next round: Villarreal vs Maccabi X, Panathinaikos vs Rennes.
| Maccabi X | Panathinaikos | |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Kicks in goal | 0 |
| 14 | Kicks | 8 |
| 4 | Blocked shots | 2 |
| 9 | Penalty kicks | 5 |
| 5 | Kicks from outside the penalty box | 3 |
| 12 | Offences | 12 |
| 7 | Corners | 2 |
| 1 | Offsides | 0 |
| 52% | Ball possession | 48% |
| 3 | Yellow cards | 2 |
| 0 | Red cards | 0 |
| 0 | Keeper saves | 6 |
| 438 | Total assists | 404 |
| 359 | Accurate assists | 329 |
| 82% | Accuracy of passes | 81% |