Panathinaikos reaches Conference League third round after 2-2 draw with Paks, Rastoder scores late equaliser

Match overview

Panathinaikos reached the Conference League third qualifying round after a 2-2 draw with Hungarian side Paks at the Olympic Stadium in Athens. The Greek club carried a 2-1 advantage from the first leg and progressed 4-3 on aggregate, but the evening was far from comfortable. Paks twice took the lead, forcing the hosts to chase the tie before Elmin Rastoder's late intervention.

Disputed goals

Paks opened the scoring in the 35th minute through Peto, who fired in after a scramble in the Panathinaikos area. The goal stood despite furious protests from the home side, who argued that Labo had fouled Tsapras by placing a hand on his neck in the build-up. Without VAR in this qualifying phase, the referee's decision was final. The club voiced its frustration on social media.

“There was an offensive foul on Tsapras. But there is no VAR.”

The Hungarians regained the lead in the 57th minute when Gerfi converted from close range after Zeke's cutback. Panathinaikos again believed the goal should have been ruled out, but the officials let it stand.

Panathinaikos response

Panathinaikos answered quickly before half-time. In the 44th minute, Jagusic collected a loose ball on the edge of the box and unleashed a powerful left-footed strike to make it 1-1. The goal restored the aggregate lead and sent the teams into the break level.

After falling behind a second time, coach Nistrup's side pushed for another equaliser. De Vrij missed a chance from point-blank range early in the second half when his effort was cleared off the line. The pressure finally told in the 85th minute. Tamporda launched a deep ball, De Vrij headed it into the path of Rastoder, and the forward beat goalkeeper Kovacsik to make it 2-2 and seal qualification.

What comes next

Panathinaikos will face CSKA 1948 Sofia in the third qualifying round. The first leg is scheduled for Wednesday 5 August at OAKA, kicking off at 21:30 local time. The return leg will take place in Sofia on Tuesday 11 August, with the start time yet to be announced.