Misfiring Panathinaikos had several chances to open the scoring, but Olympiacos was superior in the second half and took the 1-0 win in the league’s closing match thanks to El Kaabi’s first goal against the Greens and the excellent performance of Tzolakis. – Vitória’s first home loss!

How they started

Rui Vitória went once again with his classic 4-3-3 formation. The big question was who he would choose for the left wing of the attack, due to the absences of Pellistri and Djuricic, with the Portuguese coach ultimately opting for Limnios. Dragowski started in goal. In the back four were Ingason, Palmer-Brown, Vagiannidis, and Mladenovic. In midfield, Cerin remained at the “6” with Maksimovic and Unai in front of him. On the right wing was Tetteh, while Swiderski played up front.

José Luis Mendilibar, on the other hand, went with a two-striker setup (4-4-2). Tzolakis was in goal. In central defense were Pirola and Biankon, with Costinha on the right and Ortega on the left. Garcia and Mouzakitis started in midfield, while Tiquinho and Palma took the wings. The attacking pair consisted of El Kaabi and Yaremchuk.

The lukewarm start and the sequence of phases that followed

The first fifteen minutes passed with little more than sighs from both teams, as they failed to create big chances — only getting close a few times without producing a real shot on goal.

Panathinaikos then slightly upped their game and tried to apply pressure from the right side through the interplay of Unai, Tetteh, and Vagiannidis.

As a result, the Greek fullback created danger three times. First, with a run into the box, but a poor left-footed touch prevented him from finishing. Then, a parallel cross that passed through three teammates without a touch. And finally, a pass to Swiderski, who shot — but Ortega blocked it for a corner.

Olympiacos responded with a shot from Garcia around the half-hour mark, which Dragowski dove to push wide. On the resulting counterattack by Panathinaikos, Tetteh laid it off for Unai, who shot from the edge of the box, but Tzolakis denied him with a spectacular save.

In the 43rd minute, the Greens threatened again with their best chance of the first half. Vagiannidis led a stunning run, entered the box, and crossed, but the delivery and Olympiacos’s clearance were poor. The ball ended up at Unai’s feet, who entered the area and shot — just over Tzolakis’s crossbar.

Thus ended the first half, with Panathinaikos being better than Olympiacos but unable to find the goal that would give them the lead.

Panathinaikos had the chances, Olympiacos the goal

The Panathinaikos started the second half strong and hit the post just in the 51st minute. Swiderski’s shot from inside the box, after a through ball from Unai, slightly deflected off Pirola’s tackle and hit the corner of the goalframe before going out for a corner.

From that, another chance came — a shot by Cerin from the heart of Olympiacos’s box went wide.

In the 56th minute, it was Tetteh’s turn to be dangerous. He won the ball from Ortega in midfield, controlled it nicely, and charged all the way to the box unchallenged, but his right-footed finish missed just wide.

Against the flow of the game, Olympiacos won a penalty due to Ingason stepping on Yaremchuk. El Kaabi converted from the spot, reaching 18 goals in the league this season.

The “Red-and-Whites” took advantage of the momentum and the fact that Panathinaikos had to push higher up the pitch after falling behind. They created another big chance with El Kaabi. They launched a counterattack, Yaremchuk passed to the oncoming Moroccan, but Dragowski saved his first-time shot, deflecting it for a corner.

A few minutes later, Olympiacos threatened again in the 76th minute, when Boryno played Yaremchuk into the box. The Ukrainian made an individual move, but Dragowski easily handled his shot.

Zeca and Magnusson in their final appearance in green

Even though the momentum had shifted to Olympiacos, Rui Vitória made a triple substitution, bringing on Zeca, Magnusson, and Kotsiras.

The first came on to make his final appearance of his career in a night dedicated to him. The second, likely for his last match in green. And the third returned from injury that had sidelined him for weeks.

Panathinaikos nearly equalized — Tzolakis saved with his head

The Greens initially struggled against Olympiacos’s pressure but managed to find a golden opportunity to equalize in the 85th minute — but Tzolakis once again said “no.” Swiderski made a cross from the wing, Jeremejeff hit it first-time, but the Greek keeper instinctively blocked it with his head.

There were no other notable chances until the end, with Panathinaikos protesting a challenge on Unai right at the edge of the box.

MVP:
Tzolakis kept Olympiacos in the game at 0-0 until El Kaabi’s penalty. He made a huge save on Unai’s first-half shot and later stopped Jeremejeff with his head on the best chance Panathinaikos had to equalize.

Standouts:
Vagiannidis and Unai stood out for Panathinaikos, combining well with Tetteh and constantly troubling the Olympiacos defense.

Weakest link:
Dimitris Limnios did not perform well in the left winger role, a side he’s not used to playing on due to his stronger foot. He couldn’t create any threats or link up effectively with Mladenovic.

Blunder:
Ingason misjudged the penalty situation. He took a risk trying to beat Yaremchuk to the ball but ended up stepping on him, gifting Olympiacos the chance to take the lead.

Referee (the “whistle”):
Treimanis didn’t have his best game. Minor mistakes affected both sides (incorrect corners and throw-ins, a yellow card for a handball from Unai’s pass). He also missed the penalty in real time — corrected by VAR — while the Greens also protested for a penalty on Unai in the 90+3 minute.

Verdict:
Panathinaikos was the better team until going behind in the 60th minute. From then on, Olympiacos balanced the game. Both teams had their strong spells and chances, but no further goals came.

Lineups:
Panathinaikos (coach Rui Vitória):
Dragowski, Ingason, Palmer-Brown (78′ Magnusson), Vagiannidis (78′ Kotsiras), Mladenovic, Cerin, Maksimovic (78′ Zeca), Unai, Tetteh, Limnios (68′ Jeremejeff), Swiderski

Olympiacos (coach José Luis Mendilibar):
Tzolakis, Pirola, Biankon, Costinha, Ortega (62′ Bruno), Mouzakitis, Garcia (62′ Esse), Tiquinho (86′ Stamenic), Palma (62′ Rodinei), Yaremchuk (86′ Yaremchuk), El Kaabi