Panathinaikos - Borac Banja Luka 2-1: Victory in the opener
Panathinaikos defeated Borac Banja Luka 2-1 at OAKA, securing their first three points in the Conference League Phase.
Panathinaikos started their obligations in the UEFA Conference League Phase with a win, defeating Borac Banja Luka 2-1 at the Olympic Stadium of Athens. The "Greens" set their pace from the beginning of the match and managed to convert their superiority into a valuable three points.
Lead with Dessers and dominance in the first half
The game started with intensity, with Vicente Taborda missing a penalty in the 6th minute. However, four minutes later (10'), Panathinaikos won a new penalty after VAR intervention. Cyriel Dessers took the penalty and scored, making it 1-0 for the hosts. In the first half, Panathinaikos completely controlled the ball possession, going into the locker room with their lead.
Kangua sealed the victory, Bosnians reduced the score
In the second half, the pressure from the "Trifylli" paid off in the 70th minute. After an assist from Santino Andino, Kings Kangwa doubled his team's goals, making it 2-0. Borac Banja Luka reacted and in the 80th minute managed to reduce the score to 2-1 with a goal from Milos Jojic from a pass by Luka Juricic, temporarily re-entering the game.
The radiography of the statistics
The superiority of Panathinaikos was fully reflected in the numbers. The Greek team had 64% ball possession, creating a total of 31 final attempts (9 on target) compared to just 4 for Borac. At the same time, the "Greens" won 11 corners and completed 600 passes, deservedly reaching victory despite the reduction of the score at the end.