August 16, (THEWILL) – Greek side Panathinaikos pulled off a dramatic comeback to defeat France’s Marseille in a penalty shootout on Tuesday, reaching the UEFA Champions League playoff round.
Despite Marseille overturning Panathinaikos’ 1-0 first-leg lead through two goals by new striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the Greeks equalised in stoppage time to force extra time. After a scoreless 30 minutes, Panathinaikos prevailed 5-3 on penalties. They will next face Portugal’s Braga for a spot in the group stage.
In Carouge, Rangers secured a 1-1 draw with Swiss club Servette to advance 3-2 on aggregate. Captain James Tavernier scored the vital away goal for Rangers, cancelling out Servette’s lead. The Scottish club will now take on Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven, whom they defeated at the same stage last season. The first leg will be played in Glasgow next week.
Former European champions PSV Eindhoven cruised past Austria’s Sturm Graz 7-2 on aggregate after a 3-1 second-leg win. Luuk de Jong netted his third goal of the tie as PSV continued their bid to reach the group stage. Elsewhere, Copenhagen edged Sparta Prague on penalties following a dramatic 3-3 draw.
Norwegian club Molde needed extra time to get past underdogs KI Klaksvik of the Faroe Islands. Other winners on the night included Braga, Rakow, Galatasaray, and Maccabi Haifa. The second legs produced plenty of late drama as teams fought to keep their UCL dreams alive.
In Zagreb, AEK Athens scored in the 90th minute to defeat Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 in the first leg of their playoff. The original first leg in Athens was postponed due to the tragic stabbing of an AEK fan prior to the match. Greek prosecutors have since charged 105 people in connection with the incident.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
