AS Roma secured a hard-fought 1-1 draw away at Panathinaikos, booking their spot directly into the Europa League Round of 16 despite being reduced to 10 men just 15 minutes into the match.
Jan Ziolkowski’s composed header rescued the Giallorossi after a shaky start.
Both sides had already guaranteed a place in the knockout play-offs, but Roma entered the final round in sixth place.
The squad was hampered by absences, with January signings Donyell Malen and Robinio Vaz cup-tied, while Paulo Dybala, Manu Kone, Evan Ferguson, Artem Dovbyk, Mario Hermoso, and Angelino were sidelined due to injuries.
Panathinaikos coach Rafa Benitez was without suspended striker Karol Swiderski and injured players Pedro Chirivella, Facundo Pellistri, Filip Djuricic, and former Milan captain Davide Calabria.
The match got off to a frantic start. Kostas Tsimikas was put through by Lorenzo Pellegrini in the opening minute, forcing Alban Lafont into an early save.
Roma had chances to capitalize on Panathinaikos’ defensive errors, with Matias Soulé and Pellegrini failing to convert, and Jan Ziolkowski volleying wide from a Pellegrini free kick.
Roma’s woes deepened after just 15 minutes when Gianluca Mancini, the last man in the final third, brought down Milos Pantovic.
Initially shown a yellow card, VAR intervened and upgraded it to a red, leaving the Giallorossi to defend with 10 men.
Despite this, they remained resilient. Bryan Cristante produced a timely tackle to deny Pantovic another clear chance on 33 minutes, while Georgios Katris rattled the crossbar moments later.
At the restart, Evan Ndicka was introduced to strengthen the backline, and Zeki Celik nearly stunned the hosts with a spectacular volley that narrowly missed.
But it was Panathinaikos who broke the deadlock through a defensive mix-up. Daniele Ghilardi misjudged a long ball, allowing Vicente Taborda to intercept and fire past Pierluigi Gollini.
Roma responded with energy from the bench. Devyne Rensch nearly levelled immediately, only to over-hit a clever lob.
The breakthrough eventually came from youth contributions. Mattia Della Rocca made his senior debut, and moments later, Niccolò Pisilli delivered a cross flicked on by a defender, allowing Jan Ziolkowski to nod home the equaliser.
The 10-man Giallorossi continued to push for a winner late on, with Ghilardi’s half-volley saved by the goalkeeper.
The evening ended on a positive note as Angelino returned to action after months out with bronchitis-related complications, offering a boost ahead of the knockout stages.
