Lazio” data-scaytid=”1″>Lazio paid the price for complacency, as they rested on an amazing Panathinaikos own goal and were caught for a 1-1 draw in the final minute.
At least there is good news from Maribor, who drew 1-1 with Tottenham to keep the group positions unchanged.
Lazio paid the price for complacency, as they rested on an amazing Panathinaikos own goal and were caught for a 1-1 draw in the final minute.
At least there is good news from Maribor, who drew 1-1 with Tottenham to keep the group positions unchanged.
Vladimir Petkovic took no risks for this trip to Athens, resting only Miroslav Klose, Giuseppe Biava and Senad Lulic, while Federico Marchetti was injured. Panathinaikos have struggled domestically and on the continent this season and for this game were without Jean-Alain Boumsong and Sebastian Leto.
Antonio Candreva immediately tried to replicate his scorching goal against Milan at the weekend, but this time the goalkeeper was able to palm it out of the far top corner.
Stefano Mauri also drilled wide, but Panathinaikos threatened with Giourkas Seitaridis just failing to get his head on to a Lazaros Christodoulopoulos free kick.
Andre Dias thought he had scored when getting his head to a corner, but only clipped the near post after 17 minutes.
Ibrahim Sissoko surged forward on to a Bruno Fornaroli pass and made the most of a Michael Ciani error, but his curling finish was cleared just in front of Albano Bizzarri by Dias.
Lazio took the lead almost by mistake! Goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis rushed off his line to clear from Floccari and passed it to Seitaridis, who simply didn’t look up and went for the back-pass, not realising he was in fact rolling the ball calmly into an empty net! It was an unbelievable howler.
Panathinaikos tried to fight back from another corner, but the Jose Manuel Velazquez free header was nodded into the ground and back out.
Mauro Zarate was introduced for the second half and Floccari’s glancing header flashed across the face of goal.
The game was suspended for a few minutes, as there were clashes between local fans and police outside, so tear gas floated into the stadium.
Sissoko got past Pedro Cavanda to chip a cross from the by-line, but the header from Fornaroli was weak and wide.
Hernanes tested the goalkeeper at the near post, while at the other end Panathinaikos finally had a half-decent effort with Christodoulopoulos drilling just wide. Substitute Quincy Owuso-Abeyie also blasted off target after running at defenders, as did Alvaro Gonzalez for Lazio.
Panathinaikos came very close to an equaliser with 10 minutes left on the clock in Athens, as a through ball from Owuso-Abeyie sent Toche’ clear and Bizzarri came tearing off his line to charge down the shot from close range.
Lazio ran a risk in the final minute with a free kick not dealt with at all well, eventually hoofed clear for a corner. That wasn’t controlled either and Panathinaikos substitute Toche’ bundled the ball over the line from four yards as Vitolo’s cross floated over both Floccari and Ciani.
Lorik Cana’s audacious volley flew over the bar in stoppages, as the Biancocelesti had to make do with a point.
Panathinaikos 1-1 Lazio
Scorers: Seitaridis og 26 (L), Toche’ 90 (P)
Panathinaikos: Karnezis; Seitaridis, André Pinto, Velazquez, Spyropoulos; Zeca, Vitolo, Fourlanos (Owuso-Abeyie 68); Christodoulopoulos, Fornaroli (Toche 75), Ibrahim Sissoko (Mavrias 78)
Lazio: Bizzarri; Konko, Ciani, Dias, Cavanda; Ledesma; Candreva, Hernanes (Onazi 78), Gonzalez (Cana 86), Mauri (Zarate 46); Floccari
Ref: Gomez (SPA)