UEFA Europa League Play-off Round: Samsunspor - Panathinaikos

In the first leg of the UEFA Europa League play-off round, Samsunspor traveled to face Greek representatives Panathinaikos. Played on 21 August 2025 at the Spiros Louis Olympic Stadium in Athens, the red-and-white team took a 1-0 lead but ultimately lost the match 2-1. With this match, Samsunspor returned to European competitions after a 27-year absence.

First Leg: Samsunspor 1-2 Panathinaikos

Match Details

The match kicked off on Thursday 21 August 2025 at 21:00 Turkish Time and was officiated by Juan Martinez Munuera from the Royal Spanish Football Federation. The game was held at the Spiros Louis Olympic Stadium, a venue with a capacity of approximately 60,000 that hosts Panathinaikos’ home matches.

Lineups

Panathinaikos

Bartłomiej Drągowski – G. Kotsiras (60' D. Calabria), E. Palmer-Brown, A. Touba, G. Kyriakopoulos – A. Bakasetas (59' F. Ioannidis), A. Čerin, P. Chirivella – Tete, K. Świderski (86' A. Bregou), F. Pellistri (76' A. Zaroury)

Samsunspor

Okan Kocuk – Zeki Yavru, Ľubomír Šatka, Rick van Drongelen, Logi Tomasson – Celil Yüksel (69' Yunus Emre Çift) – Olivier Ntcham, Emre Kılınç (69' Arbnor Muja), Anthony Makoumbou (88' Soner Aydoğdu), Larin Dimata (78' Soner Gönül) – Marius Mouandilmadji

Match Summary

First Half

Panathinaikos started the match strongly. In the 5th minute, Anastasios Bakasetas struck a half-volley from the center of the penalty area following a pass from Karol Świderski; the ball hit Logi Tomasson and went out for a corner. In the 21st minute, Tete fired a powerful shot from outside the box, which goalkeeper Okan Kocuk saved in two quick movements. A minute later, Panathinaikos came close again: Świderski received a pass from Facundo Pellistri and shot from close range; the ball deflected off a defender, slipped past goalkeeper Okan Kocuk and struck the base of the post before going out. In the 42nd minute, Samsunspor won a free kick; Zeki Yavru’s curling effort from the right flank struck the crossbar and went out. Throughout the first half, both teams created occasional dangerous chances but the score remained level.

Second Half

Samsunspor started the second half strongly and created danger in the 50th minute when Olivier Ntcham fired a powerful shot from the edge of the penalty area. Goalkeeper Drągowski pushed the ball over the goal line for a corner. From the ensuing corner, Logi Tomasson rose well to meet Emre Kılınç’s delivery and headed the ball into the net in the 51st minute, giving Samsunspor a 1-0 away lead.

Panathinaikos responded in the 66th minute. After a cross from the right by Tete, the ball deflected off a defender and fell to Georgios Kyriakopoulos at the back post. His powerful shot found the net despite the intervention of goalkeeper Okan Kocuk. Then in the 74th minute, Panathinaikos took the lead. From a free kick taken by Tete, Erik Palmer-Brown rose well inside the penalty area and headed the ball into the net. This goal proved decisive in determining the match result.

First Leg: Samsunspor - Panathinaikos (AA)

Return Leg Information

The second leg of the UEFA Europa League play-off round will be played on Thursday 28 August 2025 at the Samsun Yeni 19 Mayıs Stadium in Türkiye. The match is scheduled to kick off at 20:00 Turkish Time. The winner of the tie will qualify for the group stage of the UEFA Europa League.

Second Match: Samsunspor 0-0 Panathinaikos

Samsunspor hosted Greek side Panathinaikos in the return leg of the UEFA Europa League play-off round, having lost the first leg away 2-1. The return match, played at the Samsun New 19 Mayıs Stadium, ended 0-0, eliminating Samsunspor from the Europa League and securing them a place in the UEFA Conference League.

Lineups

Samsunspor

Okan Kocuk, Zeki Yavru (78' Mendes), Satka, Van Drongelen, Tomasson, Celil Yüksel (60' Holse), Makoumbou (85' Soner Aydoğdu), Ntcham, Emre Kılınç (60' Dimata), Musaba, Mouandilmadji (78' Polat Yaldır)

Panathinaikos

Dragowski, Kotsiras, Palmer-Brown, Touba, Kiriakopoulos, Bakasetas (71' Siopis), Chirivella, Cerin, Tete (90' Jeremejeff), Duricic (63' Pellistri), Ioannidis (71' Swiderski)

First Half

In the 7th minute, Samsunspor created a dangerous opportunity. Mouandilmadji delivered a pass into the penalty area where Emre Kılınç struck the ball from the penalty spot, but it hit goalkeeper Dragowski’s face and rebounded back into play. In the 22nd minute, Zeki Yavru delivered a cross from the right flank, and Mouandilmadji headed it at the near post, but the ball went over the crossbar. Immediately after this chance, Panathinaikos won a free kick in the 23rd minute. Bakasetas delivered the ball into the box, and Kiriakopoulos fired a low shot that struck the base of the post and went out for a corner. In the 38th minute, Samsunspor launched a quick counterattack; Musaba received a pass from Makoumbou and shot toward goal, but Dragowski made a save. In the 42nd minute, during a Panathinaikos attack, Ioannidis found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper after a pass from Bakasetas, but his shot went wide of the goal. In the final minute of the first half, Musaba tested the goalkeeper once again, but Dragowski denied him another goal. The first half ended goalless.

Second Match: Samsunspor - Panathinaikos (AA)

Second Half

In the 66th minute of the second half, Panathinaikos created a significant chance when Tete ran behind the defense following a pass from Ioannidis. His shot was saved by goalkeeper Okan Kocuk. In the 70th minute, Samsunspor earned a corner kick; Zeki Yavru delivered the ball to the near post where Dimata headed it, but the ball went over the crossbar. In the 87th minute, the home side won a free kick; Ntcham’s powerful shot was comfortably saved by Dragowski. The match ended 0-0, and with this result, Samsunspor was eliminated from the UEFA Europa League.

Second Match: Samsunspor - Panathinaikos (AA)

Post-Match Statements

No post-match statements from either head coach were released. Samsunspor concluded their campaign in the UEFA Europa League and qualified for the group stage of the UEFA Conference League in the 2025-26 season. The matchups for this stage will be determined by the draw on 29 August 2025.