The Greens have given their Europa League chances a huge boost after scoring a pivotal comeback victory over Samsunspor, giving them a crucial advantage ahead of the deciding second leg next week.
Panathinaikos downed their Turkish opponents 2-1 at the Olympic Stadium on Friday morning (AEST) to gain the ascendency in their play-offs tie.
The “Trifylli” largely controlled proceedings throughout the clash, though their opponents proved difficult to break down.
The Turkish club was first to score, going ahead against the run of play in the 51st minute after Logi Tomasson sent a headed effort from a corner into the top left, much to the surprise of the Greens and their faithful.
The “Trifylli” managed to bring it level in the 66th minute through a corner goal of their own, with theirs coming through Giorgos Kyriakopoulos after the ball fell to him on the left side of the box.
The left back met the ball on the half volley and drilled it with great power into the back of the net, sending the fans into a frenzy.
The Greens kept on it and eventually took the lead themselves after scoring again from a corner, this time through more conventional means as centre half Erik Palmer-Brown headed the ball into the goal.
The result is important on multiple fronts as it gives Panathinaikos the advantage in their tie while it also is their first official win of the season following three draws and a defeat in their last four European qualifiers.
PAOK was less fortunate than the Greens as they fell 1-0 away to Rijeka.
The Croatian side found what proved to be the winning goal in the 39th minute via Luka Menalo, giving the Thessaloniki giants an obstacle to overcome in the return leg in Greece.
AEK rescued a 1-1 draw against RSC Anderlecht in their Conference League clash in Belgium to set up a blockbuster clash in Athens.
The Belgian outfit took the lead in the 21st minute, thanks to a strike from forward Kasper Dolberg, which they held onto until the 74th minute when Niclas Eliasson brought the game back on level terms.
Enosi were given a late blow when Petros Mantalos received a second yellow card in the 90+5th minute, meaning the club will be without their veteran playmaker in the deciding leg.
A couple of late goals have set AEK Larnaca and Omonia behind in their European assignments.
The Larnaca side fell victim to an injury time winner to lose 2-1 away to Brann in the first leg of their Europa League tie.
The Cypriot club struck first in the 16th minute via Karol Angielski, though their lead was short-lived as Felix Myhre equalised for the hosts four minute later.
The Norwegian outfit then found a winner right at the death in the 90+3rd minute to take the advantage heading into next week’s deciding fixture.
It was a similar story for Omonia in their Conference League match as they too lost 2-1 away to Wolfsberger despite scoring first.
The Nicosia team went in front in the 15th minute via Senou Coulibaly, holding the lead until the 30th minute when Chibuike Nwaiwu levelled it up for the hosts.
Dejan Zukic then popped up as the hero of the match for the Austrians, scoring in the 87th minute to put them ahead in the tie that will decide who makes it to the League Phase and who is knocked out altogether from Europe this season.
Pafos gave their chances of qualifying for the first time in its history to the Champions League an enormous boost after beating Crvena zvezda 1-2 in Serbia on Wednesday morning.
The Cypriot champions stunned the hosts with a goal in the first minute of the game from Joao Correira, and they later made it two after Pepe Rodrigues converted his penalty in the 52nd minute.
The Serbian side halved the deficit via Bruno Duarte (58′) to keep them in range, but the tie is certainly in the favour of Pafos as they look primed for a first-ever Champions League berth.
