Real Betis delivered a dominant display at the Estadio de La Cartuja, sweeping aside Panathinaikos 4-0 in the second leg of their UEFA Europa League Round of 16 clash to progress 4-1 on aggregate and reach the quarter-finals.
The Greek side arrived in Spain with a narrow 1-0 advantage from the first leg and briefly fancied their chances of holding on, but those hopes evaporated almost immediately.
Just seven minutes in, Cucho Hernández rattled the crossbar from distance, and Aitor Ruibal reacted quickest to the rebound, controlling neatly before finishing to bring Betis level in the tie.
Betis kept the pressure on and should have doubled their advantage soon after, but a crucial last-ditch intervention from Sverrir Ingi Ingason denied Pablo Fornals a close-range finish.
Panathinaikos offered little in response, with their best opening falling to Andrews Tetteh, who was denied by Pau López after a rare visitors’ attack around the half-hour mark.
The breakthrough before the interval, however, went the way of the hosts. Sofyan Amrabat capitalised on a loose sequence in midfield and unleashed a superb curling strike into the top corner, turning the tie firmly in Betis’ favour.
From there, the Spanish side never looked back.
Within eight minutes of the restart, Marc Bartra picked out Cucho Hernández with a delicate lofted pass, and the striker made no mistake, finishing calmly to extend Betis’ aggregate lead.
The game then turned into a showcase of Betis’ attacking quality, with Abde Ezzalzouli driving forward late on before unselfishly setting up Antony to slot home the fourth goal and complete the rout.
Panathinaikos goalkeeper Alban Lafont produced several fine saves to prevent further damage, including stops from Marc Roca and Antony, but the visitors were unable to mount any meaningful comeback.
Betis, in control throughout the second half, saw out the victory comfortably and will now turn their attention to a quarter-final meeting with Braga, scheduled for April 9 and 16, as they continue their push in Europe after ending Panathinaikos’ hopes of a first European quarter-final appearance since 2003.
