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PANATHINAIKS 3-1 JUVENTUS

 

Juventus FC, the former champions, went out of the UEFA Champions League in dramatic fashion as they lost 3-1 to Panathinaikos FC and for the second game in succession had two players sent off.

The victory put the Greek club through to second phase of the competition. There was not even the consolation of a place in the UEFA Cup for the Italians who finished bottom of Group E. 

Second-half penalty
The match turned on a second-half penalty-cum-sending-off award by Dick Jol, the Dutch referee, who sent off his fellow countryman Edwin van der Sar, the Juventus goalkeeper, for a second bookable offence. Van der Sar had brought down Nikolas Liberopoulos as he bore down on goal and from the ensuing penalty, Angelos Basinas put Panathinaikos 2-1 ahead. Five minutes later Panathinaikos added a second and just to complete Juventus’ misery, Darko Kovacevic was sent off for a second bookable offence, also. 

Banned 
Two weeks ago against SV Hamburg, Juventus had Zinedine Zidane and Edgar Davids sent off, with the former banned for five matches.
It was not van der Sar’s night, since the Dutchman was partly responsible for Panathinaikos’s opening goal after seven minutes. Although to be fair, it was a superb strike by Paulo Sousa, the ball curling in at the near post. Netherless, van der Sar appeared to give the Portuguese international – who once played for Juventus - plenty to aim at with his free-kick and he did not disappoint.

Super shot
It was the perfect start for the Greeks, who, unlike Juventus, had to win no matter what happened elsewhere super shot from curling into the top corner of his goal at the near post.
Antonios Nikopolidis, the reserve Panathinaikos goalkeeper, then made an important save from a close-range volley by  Antonio Conte before the Greeks tamely surrendered the lead, after 24 minutes, with a scrappy equaliser. Darko Kovacevic and Leonidas Vokolos both failed to connect with a free-kick from Fabian O'Neill, but the Yugoslav was first to react, mishitting the ball across the face of goal where Filippo Inzaghi was on hand, as ever, to steer the ball over the line from close range for his fifth goal in six matches.

Repercussions
Three Juventus players – van der Sar, Mark Iuliano and Kovacevic - were booked in the space eight minutes shortly before half-time. Little could Juventus have known that those cautions would have serious repercussions for them.
Panathinaikos, who lost Paulo Sousa at half-time, had a let-off when Nikopolidis fortuitously saved a header from Gianluca Pessotto with his legs. The game was delicately balanced when van der Sar rushed out of his goal to bring down Basinas, who had turned Ciro Ferrara quite beautifully. Michelangelo Rampulla, the reserve goalkeeper, was brought on and Marko Zanchi sacrificed before Basinas sent the substitute goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot.

Handball
Krzysztof Warzycha sealed the victory when he took a square pass from Nikolaos Liberopoulos in space and scored with ease. Kovacevic was then sent off for a second bookable following a handball, and for awhile  Juventus completely lost their discipline. A last-minute booking for Ferrara meant that he, too, missed Juventus's next match – which will now be next season.