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Roma Escape Athens With Point Despite Early Red Card

AS Roma salvaged a crucial point from their trip to Athens, holding Panathinaikos to a 1-1 draw despite playing with ten men for 75 minutes in their Europa League clash at the Spiros Louis Olympic Stadium.

The Giallorossi’s evening went sideways early when Gianluca Mancini saw red just 15 minutes in. Initially shown yellow for a challenge on a Panathinaikos forward, VAR intervened to upgrade the decision to a straight dismissal, leaving Roma facing an uphill battle.

Ten-Man Resilience

The numerical disadvantage showed immediately in the statistics. Panathinaikos dominated possession with 65% of the ball and peppered Roma’s goal with 11 shots to 12, though they managed just one effort on target compared to Roma’s five. The home side’s inability to convert territorial dominance into clear chances would prove costly.

Panathinaikos finally broke through just before the hour mark when V. Taborda found the net, sending the home crowd into raptures. The goal appeared to vindicate their patient approach against Roma’s disciplined defensive shape.

But Roma, sitting eighth in the Europa League table with 16 points from eight matches, showed exactly why they’ve been in such impressive form. With their 2.0 points-per-game average reflecting a side that knows how to grind out results, they struck back through J. Ziolkowski with ten minutes remaining.

Tactical Battle

The match became a fascinating tactical contest. Panathinaikos’ 3-4-2-1 formation allowed them to stretch Roma’s 3-5-2 shape, but they couldn’t find the clinical edge needed against a side that has won four of their last five European matches.

The expected goals metric told the story: Roma created chances worth 1.50 xG despite their numerical disadvantage, while Panathinaikos managed just 0.73 xG despite their territorial control.

For Panathinaikos, languishing in 20th place with 12 points from eight games, this felt like a missed opportunity. Their recent upturn in form—back-to-back wins before this draw—suggested they were finding their feet in Europe’s second tier, but they couldn’t capitalise when it mattered most.

The result keeps Roma firmly in the hunt for automatic qualification, while Panathinaikos remain in the playoff positions with work still to do.