Panathinaikos beat CSKA Sofia 2-1 in the Liga Conferência after leading, conceding an equalizer inside three minutes, and then going back in front through Vicente Taborda in the second half.

Match Summary

The first half produced little until it suddenly produced everything. Davide Calabria had Panathinaikos in front after 41 minutes. CSKA Sofia were level three minutes later, Dinis Almeida finishing to wipe out that lead. Rick Van Drongelen was booked in the 45th minute, and the sides reached the interval even.

Panathinaikos kept coming after the restart. Imran Louza picked up a yellow card in the 53rd minute. Vicente Taborda scored in the 68th minute and restored the home lead. That was the last goal of the night. Two more yellow cards for Panathinaikos arrived in the 77th and 81st minutes. CSKA Sofia could not force another equalizer, and the home side saw out the 2-1 result.

Key Moments

The first swing was how brief the opening lead lasted. Calabria's goal looked like a half-time platform. Almeida's reply so soon after meant Panathinaikos had to solve the same problem again after the break, this time from a draw.

The 68th-minute winner was the one that stuck. CSKA Sofia had already shown they could respond to going behind, so falling a goal down a second time left them chasing with more than 20 minutes still to play. They never found a second goal.

The chance gap underpinned that finish. Twenty-four shots and 2.53 expected goals for Panathinaikos, against nine shots and 1.06 for CSKA Sofia, showed why the home side could absorb the equalizer and still be the team more likely to land the next blow.

Match Statistics

Panathinaikos put 12 shots on target from those 24 attempts, while CSKA Sofia managed five on target from nine. Corners ran 12-4 to the home side. The disciplinary count went the other way, with four yellow cards for Panathinaikos and none for the visitors, and no red cards for either team. The expected-goals split of 2.53 to 1.06 lined up with the shooting numbers and with a one-goal home win.

See also

• Panathinaikos vs CSKA Sofia live score
• AltBets live scores
• AltBets tips
• Match recaps