On 26 October, one of the matches of the Europa League in football took place. Panathinaikos (Athens) and Rennes (France) met.
Europa League
Panathinaikos (At hens) - Rennes (France) - 1:2 (0:1)
Goals: F. Ioannidis (61) - Guiri (7), A. Kalimuendo (50)
Warnings: J. Belochan (22), Bernard (25), Willian Arao (45), Adrian Truffert (45+4), A. Calimuendo (80).
The Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium hosted an exciting UEFA Europa League match between Panathinaikos and Rennes. The atmosphere was tense, with both teams fighting for victory. At half-time the score was 0-1 in favour of Rennes, but the game was far from over. "Rennes" started the match very sharply: already in the 7th minute striker A. Guiri scored a goal. It was an early strike for Panathinaikos, but they did not lose hope. Both teams showed their skill and determination, creating several opportunities throughout the first half. The match was tense, with players from both sides receiving yellow cards. In the 22nd minute J. Belochan of Rennes was cautioned and in the 25th minute Bernard of Panathinaikos was cautioned. In the 30th minute, Rennes made the first substitution, replacing B. Bourijo with B. Santamaria. Santamaria. This substitution energised the team and Rennes continued to put pressure on Panathinaikos. At the end of the first half both teams received more yellow cards: V. Arao of Panathinaikos and A. Truffert of Rennes were warned. The second half started with a new wave: in the 50th minute Rennes increased their lead with a goal by A. Calimuendo. Panathinaikos, determined to get back on track, were awarded a penalty in the 61st minute.
F. Ioannidis, stepping into the shooting position, successfully converted the penalty, giving his team hope. Panathinaikos reacted quickly, making two substitutions: in the 62nd minute A. Cantalapiedra came on in place of Bernard and S. Palacios came on in place of D. Mancini. They sought to turn the tide of the match in their favour. Despite their efforts, Panathinaikos could not equalise. Panathinaikos made a few more substitutions in an attempt to get back on track. F. Djuricic, A. Sporar, G. Vagiannidis, G. Kotsiras were introduced into the game, but the Rennes defence stood firm and the match ended with a 2-1 victory for Rennes. In the final minutes of the match more yellow cards were shown: A. Calimuendo and A. Theate from Rennes, as well as L. Blas received warnings. It was a hard fought game between two competitive teams: both Panathinaikos and Rennes showed their skill and resilience throughout the match. Despite falling behind, Panathinaikos fought back and gave their best until the final whistle. The match at the Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium was a prime example of how exciting and dramatic the UEFA Europa League is. Fans of both teams enjoyed the thrilling football and looked forward to the next meeting between the two teams.
The following matches await the rivals in the next round: Rennes vs Panathinaikos, Rennes vs Panathinaikos.
| Panathinaikos | Rennes | |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Kicks to the goal | 6 |
| 18 | Kicks | 13 |
| 7 | Blocked shots | 3 |
| 15 | Penalty kicks | 7 |
| 3 | Penalty kicks | 6 |
| 10 | Offences | 15 |
| 6 | Corners | 4 |
| 1 | Offsides | 1 |
| 63% | Ball possession | 37% |
| 2 | Yellow cards | 5 |
| 0 | Red cards | 0 |
| 4 | Keeper saves | 5 |
| 552 | Total assists | 332 |
| 474 | Accurate assists | 258 |
| 86% | Accuracy of passes | 78% |