Two Goals in Ten Minutes, Then a Long Wait for More
Fast start to this one at Athens Olympic Stadium. Panathinaikos went ahead in the 21st minute through Adriano Jagusic, finished off a Santino Andino assist, and it looked like the hosts might be about to take control of the tie early. Didn’t last long, though — ten minutes later, CSKA 1948 were level. Georgi Rusev got on the end of a Héctor Cuéllar pass and slotted it home to make it 1-1, and that’s how it stayed for the remaining hour of football.
Panathinaikos had the better of things territorially for the rest of the game — 69% possession, 567 completed passes to CSKA’s 200, and 30 touches in the opposition box. On another night, that kind of dominance probably finds a winner. Not this time. CSKA 1948 defended with real discipline and no shortage of bravery, blocking or clearing everything the hosts threw at them, and their own direct approach on the counter caused problems too, even if the finishing wasn’t always there to match the volume of shots.
Woodwork Denies CSKA, Chances Come and Go
CSKA actually had the better chance to snatch a winner of their own — Ognjen Gasevic rattled the crossbar from outside the box following a corner, the kind of moment that could’ve flipped the whole complexion of the tie. Petar Marinov was busy at the other end for the visitors too, making four saves and three high claims to keep his side level, while Iñaki Peña had a far quieter night in the Panathinaikos goal, needing just one save all match. Deep into stoppage time, Adam Gnezda Cerin nearly won it for the hosts with a header from a Georgios Kyriakopoulos cross, but it drifted just over.
What It Means Next
A fair result on the balance of the whole game, even if Panathinaikos will feel they should have found more from all that possession. The tie is level heading into the second leg in Sofia on 11 August, and given how well CSKA 1948 defended here, it’s shaping up to be a genuinely open return fixture. Both centre-backs — Rick Van Drongelen for Panathinaikos and Lasha Dvali for CSKA — had quietly excellent games at the heart of two well-organized defenses.
Match Summary
Panathinaikos 1-1 CSKA 1948 UEFA Conference League, Third Qualifying Round, 1st Leg — Athens Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece Wednesday, 5 August 2026 Referee: M. Marchetti
Goals: 21′ Adriano Jagusic (Panathinaikos) 1-0 (assist: Santino Andino) 31′ Georgi Rusev (CSKA 1948) 1-1 (assist: Héctor Cuéllar)
Result: Panathinaikos and CSKA 1948 draw 1-1 in a balanced first leg. The tie heads to Sofia level, with the second leg on 11 August.
For live Conference League qualifying scores and coverage, visit fawanews. Full results and bracket at the official UEFA Conference League website.
