Panathinaikos Draws Paksi 2-2 to Advance in Conference League

Panathinaikos has advanced to the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa Conference League after securing a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Hungarian side Paksi at the Olympic Stadium of Athens (OAKA). The result, combined with their narrow 2-1 victory in the first leg away in Hungary, saw the Greek club progress with a 4-3 aggregate score.

Paksi initially took the lead in the 35th minute through Pető, who capitalized on a scramble in the Panathinaikos penalty area to fire home. However, the "Greens" responded just before halftime. In the 44th minute, after Paksi's defense failed to clear the ball effectively, Jaksits unleashed a powerful shot from outside the box to level the score at 1-1.

The visitors regained their advantage in the 57th minute when Zséké set up Gérfi, who scored from close range to make it 1-2. Despite facing a deficit, Panathinaikos mounted a late surge. In the 85th minute, Rastoder seized on a defensive lapse from the Hungarian team and calmly finished to secure the 2-2 draw, sealing their progression to the next stage.

Panathinaikos will now face Bulgarian side CSKA 1948 in the third qualifying round. The first leg of that tie is scheduled to take place at OAKA on August 5.