Panathinaikos were made to rue their failure to take a number of chances in their UEFA Europa League (UEL) clash with Go Ahead Eagles, after Milan Smit led a stunning turnaround to guide the Dutch side to a 2-1 victory in Athens - their first-ever main draw win in European competition.
Competing in their first away match in a European group stage/league phase, Go Ahead Eagles were forced to work hard to weather persistent Panathinaikos pressure in the first period.
Tete threatened the goal inside the opening 15 minutes, forcing Jari De Busser into a reaction save after the ball had kindly deflected into his path from Adam Gnezda Cerin’s blocked shot.
De Busser was required to make two more important stops before the break, tipping over from Cerin’s headed effort, before he clawed away Tete’s curling shot in stoppage time.
However, there was nothing De Busser could do to prevent Karol Swiderski from heading the hosts into a deserved lead in the early stages of the second period. The Poland international got in front of his man to steer home Tete’s near-post corner to score in back-to-back UEL matches.
After falling behind, the Eredivisie outfit were forced to come out of their shell, with Richonell Margaret’s driven shot forcing Alban Lafont into his first meaningful piece of action.
At that point, Panathinaikos still appeared to be in control of proceedings, and even threatened to add a second when Filip Duricic’s side-footed strike was pawed away by De Busser.
That save ultimately proved crucial, as just moments later, Go Ahead Eagles broke away to level the scoreline against the run of play. Lafont got a hand to Smit’s deft flick from Dean James’ low cross, but as the goalkeeper turned around, he could only helplessly watch the ball trickle over the line.
Sensationally, James and Smit combined again for the latter to slide home an 82nd-minute winner, leaving the hosts stunned after they had dominated the majority of the contest.
While Melvin Boel’s charges celebrate a famous win, the hosts are left to reflect upon their first home defeat of the season.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Milan Smit (Go Ahead Eagles)