Panathinaikos F.C. made a solid start to their new season on Tuesday evening.
The Greek team won the game against Belgian Club Brugge K.V. 2-1 in the first leg of the third qualifying round for the 2015-2016 UEFA Champions League, at their home stadium in Athens.
Panathinaikos had a difficult start after falling behind to the Belgians right in the 10th minute mark thanks to defender Boli Bolingoli Mbombo’s header.
The Athenian team, however, salvaged the first half when striker Marcus Berg headed the ball in the net in the 37th minute, just a few minutes after missing a penalty kick.
Soon after the equalizer, things took a turn for the worse for the Greeks when Panathinaikos defender Sergio Sanchez was sent off for a strong tackle in the 43rd minute.
In the second half, while playing with ten, Panathinaikos won another penalty and this time striker Nikos Karelis did not miss, putting the Greeks ahead in the 65th minute.
The second leg will be played on August 5 in Bruges. Panathinaikos will need to win or earn a draw in order to definitely advance to the Champions League play-offs round. A victory for Club Brugge could put either of the two teams through, depending on the exact score.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-nwO6Tmezk
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