Botev Plovdiv Narrowly Falls to Panathinaikos, Eyes Redemption in Return Leg

Botev Plovdiv still holds onto its hopes after a narrow defeat in Athens. The Canaries fell 1-2 to the Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos in the second qualifying round of the Europa League, as reported by sportal.bg.

The home team took the lead early, with Yeremeyef scoring in the 8th minute. Just before halftime, Bakasetas extended the advantage by converting a penalty in the 44th minute. Botev's Koroshets managed to pull one back in the 70th minute shortly after being introduced, keeping the tie intriguing at the Olympic Stadium in Athens. In the previous round, Botev had triumphed over Slovenia's Maribor, and with this elimination round underway, they are eager for a stronger showing in the return leg. A win would assure them two matches against Dutch giants Ajax, while a loss would see them continue in the Conference League.

The only absence for Botev was the injured Atanas Chernev, but around 100 passionate fans made the trip to support the team.

The match began with a shocking turn of events, as a seemingly innocuous situation allowed Panathinaikos to score early. A defensive clearance by Mladenovic fell to Yeremeyef, who capitalized by evading Botev's last defender, Yonai Tamm, and slipping the ball past goalkeeper Matvei Igonen.

Botev could have found themselves in deeper trouble just five minutes later when Mancini's dangerous pass almost reached Yeremeyef, but he shot over the bar. In the 17th minute, Nikolay Minkov found Ivelin Popov in the box, but Popov's shot was saved comfortably by Dragovski.

Yeremeyef continued to trouble Botev's defense, and in the 21st minute, a missed opportunity from Vaianidis almost resulted in a second goal, but he shot wide. Botev had a strong appeal for a penalty in the 36th minute when Samuel Akere fell in the box, but the referee waved it off.

Panathinaikos doubled their lead in first-half stoppage time after Jonas Tamm fouled Djuricic in the penalty area, allowing Bakasetas to score from the spot.

Botev's defense remained under pressure in the second half. Igonen made a crucial save in the 53rd minute against a powerful effort from Vaianidis. A potential third goal for Panathinaikos was ruled offside moments after.

Botev showed resilience, with Alain Koroshets scoring just ten minutes after coming on as a substitute, leveling the game temporarily before making it 2-1. A brilliant assist from Martin Sekulic set him up perfectly for the close-range finish.

In the dying minutes, Djuricic nearly extended the lead for Panathinaikos but hit the crossbar instead. Botev was given a penalty late in the game when Ukaki was brought down in the box following a mix-up in defense. However, VAR intervened, and the referee reversed the decision, much to the chagrin of Botev's players and supporters.

The stage is set for a thrilling return leg as Botev Plovdiv aims to turn the tide in their favor.