Panathinaikos defeated Samsunspor 2–1 on Thursday, 21 August 2025, in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League play-offs at the Leoforos Alexandras Stadium. Kickoff was at 18:00 UTC under Spanish referee Juan Martinez Munuera. The match remained goalless at half-time before both sides found the net in the second half. The result gave the Greek side a narrow advantage heading into the return fixture in Turkey.

For Panathinaikos, the win was critical as they aimed to reach the Europa League gr...