Nigeria's Cyriel Dessers scored a late winner as Panathinaikos beat CSKA 1948 2-1 in Sofia. This victory sends them into the UEFA Conference League play-off round.
On Tuesday, Dessers found the net in the 94th minute at the Vasil Levski National Stadium. He restored Panathinaikos' lead just two minutes after Lasha Dvali had equalised for the Bulgarian team.
The win gave the Greek side a 3-2 aggregate after a 1-1 draw in Athens last week.
Panathinaikos took charge of the match in the 66th minute. Levi Garcia scored from a tough angle to put them ahead 1-0.
CSKA 1948 responded late when Dvali scored in the 92nd minute, pushing the game into extra time.
But Panathinaikos quickly took back the lead. Dessers reacted fast in the box, shooting a right-footed shot into the bottom-left corner to secure the win.
This result marked a big turnaround for Panathinaikos. They had drawn 1-1 with CSKA 1948 in the first leg at the Olympic Stadium in Athens on August 5.
In that match, Adriano Jagusic opened the scoring for Panathinaikos in the 21st minute. He headed in Santino Andino’s cross into the net.
However, Georgi Rusev equalised in the 31st minute after a scramble in the Panathinaikos penalty area.
Panathinaikos pushed for another goal in Athens, but CSKA goalkeeper Petar Marinov denied De Vrij with a strong save. Rusev almost put CSKA ahead, and Gasevic hit the crossbar in the 82nd minute as they finished strongly.
The 1-1 draw meant Panathinaikos went to Sofia knowing they needed to avoid defeat to keep their European hopes alive.
They did more than that, surviving CSKA's late goal before Dessers’ extra-time strike took them through.
Now, Panathinaikos will continue their European journey in the Conference League play-off round. Dessers’ late goal was key in a match that was tense until the end.
In July, Punch reported that Dessers returned to full training with the Greek club. He had been out for about six months due to a thigh injury.
The striker made a strong comeback by scoring a crucial goal that gives the team a chance to play in Europe next season.
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