Borac beaten 2–1, and the top of the table
Panathinaikos 2–1 Borac Banja Luka at the OAKA on Thursday. It is exactly what the opening night of the Conference League league phase needed to be, and it was harder than it should have been (12) (13) (3).
The finishing is the story. Panathinaikos built chance after chance against Borac and converted only two, which is why a game that could have been comfortable stayed a one-goal game to the end (10) (13).
The win leaves Panathinaikos in 9th place in the Conference League standings (10).
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Ounaï is the piece that made it work
Azzedine Ounaï ran Panathinaikos's attacking build-up against Borac (2). That is the read from the OAKA: in the 4-2-3-1, Ounaï is the player who guided the team forward and made the difference (2). Dešers, Kangwa and Juričić were all in the squad on the night (12).
The knockout odds moved
A new projection from Football Meets Data shows Panathinaikos's chances of reaching the Conference League knockout stage rose sharply after the win over Borac (5). On the domestic side, the club has moved past AEK in the UEFA ranking (9).
Pelistri: no €10m from Panathinaikos
TransferFeed reports developments on Facundo Pelistri over the next two months, and states that Panathinaikos are not covering the €10m (7). Unconfirmed (7).
The derby, seen from the other side
Olympiacos beat Panathinaikos 1–0 in the league on Sunday, October 11, and they did it without a striker scoring. Two 1–0 wins for them, two corners, goals from Retsos and Ese (8). That is the Olympiacos side that then beat Marseille (8).
Zarouri's first goal on loan
Anas Zarouri scored his first goal of his loan spell in the MLS (11). The Moroccan winger is out on loan from Panathinaikos this season (11).
Asteras Tripoli on Sunday
Panathinaikos are 1st in the Super League on 15 points from 6 games, +9 goal difference, form W W W L W.
Asteras Tripoli at home on Sunday, October 18, 16:30 CEST. Then Kairat Almaty away in the Conference League on Thursday, October 22, and Volos away on Sunday, October 25.
Fan reactions
The r/Panathinaikos thread after the Borac win is where the mood sits: relief at the three points, and a hard eye on the misses. Highlights thread
