Vicente Taborda struck late from the penalty spot to hand Panathinaikos a dramatic 1-0 victory over Real Betis in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League Round of 16 clash.
The match began cautiously, with neither side able to create clear chances early on. Betis forward Cucho Hernández came closest to breaking the deadlock in the opening stages, but his header was superbly tipped away by goalkeeper Alban Lafont.
The Spanish visitors gradually asserted their authority, winning several corners and controlling possession.
Panathinaikos had to wait nearly 15 minutes before threatening the Betis goal, but Georgios Kyriakopoulos fired well wide with his attempt.
Betis continued to dominate the tempo and had over 70 percent of the ball for long spells. Lafont was again called into action shortly after the half-hour mark, reacting quickly to deny Hernández’s low drive.
Despite their control and preventing Panathinaikos from registering a shot on target in the first half, Betis could not find a breakthrough before the interval.
The hosts looked sharper after the restart, with Facundo Pellistri injecting some urgency into their play. Panathinaikos also appealed for a penalty when Andrews Tetteh went down in the area, but the referee waved away their claims.
Betis soon regained their momentum, and Hernández came agonizingly close to scoring as the game approached the hour mark.
However, the contest took a dramatic turn when Anass Zaroury received his second yellow card in the space of 10 minutes for pulling back Abde Ezzalzouli, leaving Panathinaikos with 10 men for the final half-hour.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, the Greek side continued to press forward under the guidance of coach Rafa Benítez, though they still struggled to test the Betis goalkeeper as the clock ticked down.
Betis looked more likely to score, with Antony unleashing a powerful long-range effort that forced another impressive save from Lafont.
But the decisive moment arrived late in the match. Just a minute after entering the pitch, Karol Świderski was brought down in the box by Diego Llorente. Following a VAR review, the referee pointed to the spot and also sent the Betis defender off.
Taborda kept his composure from 12 yards, firing the ball home in the 87th minute to score with Panathinaikos’ first shot on target and secure a crucial first-leg advantage.
The victory also extends Panathinaikos’ impressive recent form at the Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium, where they have now lost only once in their last 13 matches across all competitions, recording seven wins, five draws and six clean sheets during that run.
