Viktoria Plzen extended their impressive away form with a hard-earned 2-2 draw in Athens against Panathinaikos in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League playoff.
The Czech side have now suffered just one defeat in their last 12 away matches in all competitions (W7, D4).
Plzen, the only unbeaten team in the league phase (W3, D5), started brightly and were rewarded early.
In the 11th minute, Denis Visinsky struck Plzen’s first Europa League goal of the season after Lukas Cerv’s clever lay-off on the edge of the box found him in perfect position.
The visitors nearly doubled their advantage soon after, but Salim Lawal curled over from a promising position, a miss that proved costly.
Panathinaikos quickly capitalised, drawing level on the half-hour mark as Andrews Tetteh powered a header into the far corner from Giorgos Kyriakopoulos’ pinpoint delivery.
Plzen pushed for a response before halftime, yet Jiri Panos’ effort drifted just wide. The second half saw a flurry of chances at both ends.
Tetteh had a close-range header saved by Florian Wiegele, while Alban Lafont kept Plzen at bay with a fine stop from Amar Memic.
The breakthrough eventually came for the hosts in the 61st minute. Tetteh danced past Karel Spacil and slotted home with precision for his second of the night.
Plzen refused to bow out, and their perseverance paid off when Tomas Ladra’s speculative long-range strike was parried into the net by Lafont, restoring parity.
The final minutes were tense as both sides sought a late winner, with Anastasios Bakasetas seeing a 12-yard effort drift wide.
The contest ended 2-2, leaving everything to play for in the second leg in Plzen next week, with a spot in the Europa League last 16 up for grabs.
