Panathinaikos 1 – 1 Rangers
Duricic 57’ Gassama 60’
Djeidi Gassama’s thunderous second-half strike secured Rangers’ progression to the next round of Champions League qualifying.
Just like the first leg at Ibrox eight days ago, Panathinaikos started the tie extremely brightly. Early efforts from Bakasetas and Ioannidis caused unease before Jack Butland denied Facundo Pellistri in a one-on-one situation. Fotis Ioannidis’ headed attempt capped off an unsettling first 20 minutes for the Ibrox side, perhaps struggling with the searing Greek heat. Joe Rothwell was impressive in the opening leg but was unable to dictate the play quite as well in the early stages.
Rangers’ were unchanged from their first leg triumph but their new possession approach nearly cost them on several occasions. A defensive lapse between Djiga and Tavernier left Facundo Pellistri with space in the box, but he blazed it high – a significant let-off for Russell Martin’s men.
The away side rarely threatened but Findlay Curtis’s pace was key in relieving pressure and stretching the game. Nicolas Raskin went closest in the first period, heading over from a Rothwell corner. Ultimately, there is still plenty of work to do for Russell Martin and his staff in what was a nervy opening 45.
Despite a disjointed first-half performance, the visitors miraculously maintained their two-goal lead heading into the interval. A hugely frustrating first half for Panathinaikos, who’s fans were displeased as the halftime whistle blew. Even with complete domination, no inroads were made to the two-goal deficit.
Panathinaikos started the second half on the front foot and found the net within five minutes. A swinging cross from Bakasetas bypassed the entire Rangers defence, allowing Filip Djuricic to beat the offside trap and head past Jack Butland. After a lengthy VAR check, the goal was confirmed, sending the home support into raptures.
After 153 minutes of relentless pressure, Panathinaikos finally had their breakthrough in the tie. However, their celebrations were short-lived. Following a rare foray into the Panathinaikos penalty area, Danilo’s deflected shot fell kindly to substitute Djeidi Gassama, who brilliantly smashed home off the post. The goal was the former Sheffield Wednesday man’s second of the tie, quickly cementing his status as a fan favourite on the blue side of Glasgow.
Despite all their pressure, the home side found themselves back to square one and two goals behind. They quickly regrouped, and substitute Tete delivered a teasing left-footed cross that narrowly evaded the outstretched legs of Ioannidis. Minutes later, Tete again looked sharp, winning a free-kick in a dangerous area, though the resulting set piece failed to trouble Jack Butland.
As the clock ticked towards the 90-minute mark, Panathinaikos began to lose their rhythm. With over 30 shots on goal across both legs, Rui Vitoria’s side will undoubtedly rue their missed opportunities. Cyriel Dessers even had a golden chance to seal the tie in injury time, but after being slid through one-on-one, he couldn’t convert his first goal of the season.
The victory for Rangers sets up a clash with either Viktoria Plzen of Czechia or Servette of Switzerland. The first leg will be played at Ibrox on August 5th
Panathinaikos: (4-2-3-1) – Dragowski, Kotsiras (Gnezda Čerin 67’), Palmer-Brown (T. Jedvaj 77’), Touba, Kyriakopoulos, Chirivella, Maksimovic, Pellistri, Bakasetas (Tetê 67’), Djuricic (K. Świderski 77’), Ioannidis (Jeremejeff 84’)
Bookings: T. Bakasetas 61’
Rangers: (4-3-3) – Butland, Tavernier, Souttar, Djiga, Aarons, Diomande, Raskin, Rothwell (Bajrami 82’), Dowell (Jefté 74’), Curtis (Gassama 57’) , Danilo (Dessers 82’)
Bookings: Kieron Dowell (45+3) Gassama 61’
