Panathinaikos secured a 2-1 home win over Turkish side Samsunspor in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League playoff on August 22, 2025. The Greek giants navigated a potentially tricky fixture at the Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium to take a lead to Turkey. Panathinaikos established control with a first-half goal and doubled their advantage early in the second period. Samsunspor, showing great spirit, fought back to score a crucial away goal late in the game, setting up a tense second leg. The 2-1 result is a good one for Panathinaikos, but the away goal conceded means their passage to the group stage is not yet secure.