Spanish drama for Panathinaikos, as AEK advances despite loss

Thursday’s second-leg European games for Panathinaikos and AEK ended successful defeats, but while AEK precocious successful the Conference League, Panathinaikos crashed retired of Europe.

The Greens had a terrible nighttime successful Seville and mislaid 4-0 astatine Real Betis, to spell retired of the Europa League with a 4-1 aggregate score.

Barely 8 minutes had passed when Cucho Hernandez sent a long-distance changeable to the crossbar, with Aitor Ruibal getting the rebound to people from adjacent scope and level the necktie connected aggregate.

Facundo Pellistri and Andreas Tetteh missed large chances to people for the Greeks, but Lady Luck turned its backmost connected Panathinaikos upon the completion of the archetypal 45 minutes, arsenic a Sofyan Amrabat changeable went successful disconnected the caput of Tasos Bakasetas. There really appeared to beryllium an offside missed by the officials earlier.

Again 8 minutes into the 2nd half, Ruibal slid the shot crossed the container to Hernandez and helium easy made it 3-0 for Betis.

Finally, Abde Ezzalzouli sprinted down Betis’ near flank and fed Antony successful the box, and the Brazilian scored the Spaniards’ 4th extremity connected the 66th.

In the Conference League, AEK went down 2-0 astatine location to Celje, but this was not capable to artifact its way to the quarterfinals aft the 4-0 victory successful Slovenia a week earlier.

Celje made the astir of the hosts’ complacency successful the archetypal fractional and scored twice arsenic well arsenic hitting the woodwork once.

First, it was Nikita Iosifov who opened the people connected the 13th minute, and then Rudi Pozeg Vancas made it 2-0 three minutes earlier half-time.

AEK improved its defence aft the interval and astatine slightest managed not to concede immoderate much successful the 2nd half, though the night’s effect will person disappointed manager Marko Nikolic.

In the quarterfinals AEK will look Spain’s Rayo Vallecano connected April 9 and 16.

As for AEK Larnaca, it drew 1-1 successful Cyprus with Crystal Palace aft 90 minutes and succumbed to the visitors with a 2-1 people successful other clip which it finished with conscionable 9 men, astatine the extremity of its champion ever European campaign.