Resilient Roma Advance to Europa League Round of 16 After Tense Draw in Athens

Written by Pavel Kateliev

Pavel Kateliev is a popular sport journalist, particularly in the fields of football, basketball, tennis, and hockey. He writes daily for Sportingpedia and his work has been translated into at least 20 languages and featured on renowned outlets such as BBC, Yahoo, MCN, Sun, and Evening News, in Italian, English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

, | Updated: January 30, 2026

Key Takeaways:

Roma held Panathinaikos to a 1:1 draw in Athens during their final Europa League main phase match
Despite playing with ten men from the 15th minute, Roma clinched eighth place and secured direct qualification to the Round of 16 with 16 points
Panathinaikos, finishing 20th with 12 points, will enter the playoffs against either Nottingham Forest or Viktoria Plzen

Match Summary and Major Incidents

The closing fixture of the Europa League’s main phase saw Panathinaikos and Roma play out a 1:1 draw in Athens. Both teams have now gone five consecutive matches in the competition without defeat. For Panathinaikos, it marked a third successive draw, while Roma’s recent run of four straight wins came to an end.

Roma’s evening took a negative turn early on, as their central defender Gianluca Mancini received a straight red card in the 15th minute following a VAR intervention for a foul on Milos Pantovic as the last man. This early setback stalled Roma’s opening pressure and handed the initiative to the home side, although the match remained goalless at half-time.

Λήξη αγώνα στο ΟΑΚΑ. Το ευρωπαϊκό ταξίδι συνεχίζεται στα play offs του Europa League. #Panathinaikos #PAOFC #PAOROM #UEL pic.twitter.com/kaLArlAnog
— Panathinaikos F.C. (@paofc_) January 29, 2026

Scoring and Key Moments

Panathinaikos capitalised on a defensive mistake in the 58th minute when Daniele Gilardi’s error allowed Vicente Taborda to steal possession, glide past him, and send a low effort into the net for the opener. Despite their numerical disadvantage, Roma showed great resilience and levelled the contest in the 80th minute. Nicolo Pisilli provided a cross into the Panathinaikos area, and after an attempted headed clearance by Georgios Katris fell short, Jan Zilkowski nodded home the equaliser.

Qualification and Group Standings

With this result, Roma clinched the final direct qualification place for the Europa League Round of 16, securing eighth position on 16 points and edging past Genk, who finished ninth, on goal difference. This latest achievement marks the twelfth consecutive season in which the Italian side have reached the last 16 in a European competition. At the same time, Panathinaikos ended their campaign in 20th place with 12 points and must now prepare for the playoff stage, where they will face either Nottingham Forest or Viktoria Plzen for a place in the next round.