‘They hammered Rangers' – Greek media reacts as Panathinaikos crash out of Champions League to Djeidi Gassama goal

Scottish Sun

21 hours ago

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PANATHINAIKOS' exit from the Champions League at the hands of Rangers has been labelled as a "harsh elimination" by the Greek media.
That's in part because the Athens side HAMMERED their Glasgow rivals, according to one national outlet.
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Rangers players run off to celebrate with Djeidi Gassama after his killer strike
Credit: EPA
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Filip Djuricic scored his team's only goal of the tie
Credit: EPA
Djeidi Gassama scored his second Gers goal as Panathinaikos and Rangers drew 1-1 on the night in Greece, resulting in a 3-1 aggregate win for the Light Blues.
Russell Martin's men now progress to the Champions League third qualifying round where they will face Czech club Viktoria Plzen.
Panathinaikos had the upper hand in terms of possession and chances created for much of the tie, both in the first half at Ibrox last week in the first leg and for an hour of the match last night.
However, it seems there was a feeling amongst the Greek media that last season's Super League runners-up were the underdogs.
Leading Athens-based newspaper Ethnos depicted Panathinaikos as trying to cause a "big upset" by beating Rangers - and singled out Gers goalkeeper Jack Butland for praise.
They said the Greek giants will be left with a "bitter taste in the mouth" after seeing their domination fail to translate into a win.
"Panathinaikos fought with all its might for the big upset but lost its way to the bright lights of the Champions League," they wrote.
"It created great chances, took the lead, but a moment of inaction proved decisive.
"The final 1-1 with Rangers at OAKA (combined with the 2-0 of the Scots at Ibrox) sealed the elimination from the second qualifying round and left a bitter taste in the mouth of the Greens, who saw their effort not rewarded."
They added: "Panathinaikos managed to exert tremendous pressure on Rangers for more than 30 minutes.
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"However, once again - as happened at Ibrox a week ago - it was ineffective. Partly due to the midfielders' mistakes, partly due to the Rangers' excellent - for the second match in a row - goalkeeper, Rui Vitoria's team was deprived of one, two, even three goals."
And Ethnos concluded its report with: "No matter what Rui Vitoria and his players tried to do next, it did not bear fruit and Panathinaikos suffered a harsh elimination."
Kathimerini, one of the main national newspapers in Greece, wrote that the Athens side HAMMERED Rangers for most of the game - just as they had in the first leg.
Their report said: "Panathinaikos 'hammered' Rangers again for an hour, but again missed a bunch of chances.
"And when they found the goal they were looking for they didn't have time to build on it as the Scots equalised immediately."
Ta Nea (The News), a popular national media outlet, described Panathinaikos' as "ineffective and frivolous" both going forward and at the back, and that their approach for the last 25 minutes generally was naive.
They said: "The Greens failed to overturn the 2-0 defeat and in Athens they were once again ineffective and frivolous in attack and defence respectively.
"The Clover dominated the first half, missed a lot of opportunities, scored first in the match, however, the Rangers' quick response was the reason that the switch was flipped in the second half and the exclusion from the continuation of the top inter-club competition came as a natural continuation of the nervous play of the home team in the last 25 minutes."
In a separate report, Ta Nea opined that Panathinaikos' elimination dramatically alters the narrative of their season already.
That's because making it through this round would have guaranteed European group stage football at either the Champions League or Europa League.
But this is a spoil of war that Rangers will enjoy, with Panathinaikos now scheduled to face Shakhtar Donetsk or Besiktas in the Europa League third qualifying round.
Ta Nea said: "We should note that by qualifying against the Scots, the Greens would not only make their summer but also their entire season.
"This is because they would ensure their presence in the League Phase of the Europa League and would have two opportunities to achieve the ultimate and shake the sheet in the top inter-club competition.
"However, with the elimination by Rangers, they are no longer even certain of the League Phase of the Conference League.
"And as if that weren't enough, they also face a very difficult task in the third qualifying round of the Europa League."
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