Final score

16 September 2008 20:45

Panathinaikos FC
Inter
40' (2nd half) Adriano
27' Mancini
Referee: Manuel Enrique Mejuto Gonzalez / Linesmen: Yuste Jimenez, Novoa Robles / Fourth official: Delgado Ferreiro
Minute Text commentary
46' Half time. Inter lead Panathinaikos 1-0 courtesy of Mancini's 27th-minute goal.
45' There will be one minute of added time.
45' Cleyton has a go from 25 yards. The Brazilian's effort is over the bar.
42' A scare for Inter. Moon's shot from the edge of the area takes a slight deflection off Materazzi before coming back off Julio Cesar's crossbar.
42' Ibrahimovic is flagged offside as he runs on to Mancini's through ball.
40' Moon gets past Maxwell on the right and whips in a cross. Julio Cesar saves.
38' Julio Cesar down at his near post to block Moon's low cross-shot from the right.
37' Panathinaikos make an early change: Ivanchitz replaces Karagounis.
33' Cleyton is booked for a bad challenge on Ibra.
30' The Greeks create more danger as Julio Cesar is forced to narrow the angle to deny Moon.
30' Nothing comes of the resulting corner, taken by ex-Inter midfielder Giorgos Karagounis (36 appearances from 2003-05).
29' Panthinaikos go close to a quick leveller as Moon's cracking shot from 25 yards forces Julio Cesar into a tipped save.
27' GOOOAALLLL!!!!! Ibrahimovic takes on two players and slides into the path of the onrushing Mancini who slots past Galinovic. PANATHINAIKOS 0-1 INTER.
26' Mancini is flagged offside as he races to meet Ibra's through ball.
22' Mejuto Gonzalez shows Marco Materazzi a yellow card after a foul on Salpingidis.
19' Ibrahimovic forces Galinovic into a difficult save with a thunderous shot on the turn.
17' Quaresma tries to surprise Galinovic from 20 yards, but the Croatian keeper is alert to the danger and makes a comfortable save.
16' Mancini's corner kick is cleared by Vintra at the near post.
16' Vintra controls Maicon's whipped right-wing cross with his chest and sweeps clear, but Inter remain in the Panathinaikos third and win a left-wing corner.
14' Materazzi's hooked effort from Quaresma's right-wing corner is way over the bar.
13' Brilliant first-time shot by Quarsesma. Superb diving save by Galinovic.
11' A chance for Inter. Ibrahimovic slides agonisingly wide after collecting Vieira's pass into the area.
10' Mattos' fierce low strike from the free kick is several yards wide of Julio Cesar's right-hand post.
9' The Greeks win a free kick in a central position 30 yards out fter a foul by Cambiasso.
8' Ten Cate's side win the first corner of the game after Materazzi slides in to block Salpingidis' right-wing cross. The corner is cleared with some difficulty.
4' Julio Cesar makes an easy save from Cleyton's 25-yarder after a clearance by Maicon.
2' Ivan Cordoba makes a spectacular overhead clearance to deny Salpingidis a clear route on goal.
2' Maxwell sends in a deep cross from the left wing. Ibrahimovic controls with his chest but can't get past Simao.
1' Welcome to Athens for our opening fixture of the 2008/09 Champions League.
1' Away we go. Inter kick off.
1' Inter: 12 Julio Cesar; 13 Maicon, 2 Cordoba, 23 Materazzi, 6 Maxwell; 14 Vieira, 19 Cambiasso, 4 Zanetti; 33 Mancini, 8 Ibrahimovic, 77 Quaresma.
1' Panathinaikos: 1 Galinovic; 24 Vintra, 23 Simao, 8 Goumas, 29 Nillson; 2 Moon, 15 Gilberto Silva, 4 Mattos; 10 Cleyton, 14 Salpingidis, 21 Karagounis.
1' The Olympic Stadium in Athens is a sea of green as we await kick-off.
1' It's a dry evening in the Greek capital, with a temperature of around 22 degrees Celsius.
Minute Text commentary
48' That's it. Mancini and Adriano wrap up a 2-0 win over Panathinaikos.
45' Three minutes of added time.
40' GOOOAAAAAALLL!!!!!!! Adriano meets Ibrahimovic's through ball, takes it into the area and crashes past Galinovic. PANATHINAIKOS 0-2 INTER.
39' Materazzi beats Salpingidis to a left-wing cross and heads out for a throw.
37' Meanwhile, Panathinaikos make their last substitution. Souza replaces Moon.
37' Inter bring on Adriano for Mancini. It's the striker's first competitive appearance in black and blue since last October's Serie A match against Reggina in Reggio Calabria.
36' With his back to goal, Muntari controls Ibra's high ball with his chest. The Ghana midfielder is promptly intercepted.
34' At the other end, Galinovic is out quick to beat Ibrahimovic to the ball.
33' Another save from Julio Cesar.
32' Corner to Panathinaikos as Hristodoupoulos's low shot forces Julio Cesar into a one-handed save.
29' Muntari misses as Inter have a chance from the corner.
28' Inter win a corner after Mancini's angled shot is blocked.
27' Henk Ten Cate brings on Hristodoupoulos comes on for Nilsson.
24' Panathinaikos close again, but Julio Cesar makes a vital save from Gilberto Silva's dangerous free kick.
21' Corner to the Greeks as Ivanchitz' free kick takes a deflection.
19' Another pair of fresh legs. Mourinho brings on Sulley Muntari for Patrick Vieira.
17' José Mourinho makes his first substitution: Figo replaces his compatriot Quaresma.
16' Vintra fires wide after intercepting a Zanetti pass.
14' Gilberto Silva's long-range effort is nothing to write home about. Goal kick for the Nerazzurri.
12' Salpingidis crashes wide of the right post after a 20-yard dash to the edge of the area.
8' Panathinaikos close through Cleyton. The Brazilian's curling shot from just outside the area is inches wide of the far post.
6' Ivanchitz has a go from 25 yards. Julio Cesar saves.
2' Moon's cross from the right is easy prey for Julio Cesar as the home side continue their aggressive start to the second half.
2' Materazzi makes a headed clearance from the resulting free kick.
1' Panathinaikos get the second half going.
1' Maicon is yellow-carded for bringing down Ivanchitz on the left wing.
1' Galinovic is quick out to deny Ibrahimovic a chance from a through pass.
Zanetti
6.64
6.64
Cordoba
7.58
7.58
Materazzi
6.84
6.84
Adriano
8.27
8.27
Cambiasso
7.13
7.13
Julio Cesar
7.18
7.18
Figo
6.23
6.23
Maicon
6.84
6.84
Maxwell
6.45
6.45
Vieira
6.45
6.45
Ibrahimovic
9.05
9.05
Mancini
7.78
7.78
Muntari
6.52
6.52
Quaresma
6.31
6.31
Average rating 7.09
7 shots on target 5
12 shots off target 5
18 fouls committed 19
7 corners 4
4 offsides 6
00 ball possession 00
Panathinaikos-Inter

Tuesday evening's Champions League Matchday 1 tie at Athens' Olympic Stadium is the first competitive encounter between the two teams.

Panathinakos v Italian clubs

The Greeks face an Italian team for the 17th time after 3 wins, 5 draws and 8 defeats. Of the 8 matches played in Greece, Panathinaikos have won 3, drawn 3 and lost 2.

Inter v Greek opposition

Inter have never failed to score in competitive games against teams from Greece. The Nerazzurri have played 6 matches against Greek opposition (all against AEK Athens), winning 4, drawing 1 and losing 1. The Italians have scored on each occasion, netting a total of 14 goals. In away matches, Inter have collected 1 win, 1 draw and 1 defeat.

Ten Cate v Mourinho

The two coaches meet in a competitive fixture for the first time. Panathinaikos boss Henk Ten Cate was appointed to become Avram Grant's assistant coach at Chelsea after the London club parted company with current Inter coach José Mourinho in October 2007.

One Greek defeat in last 13 European games

Panathinaikos have won 8 and drawn 4 since their last defeat in a European cup competition - a 1-2 home loss to Spanish outfit Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Cup on 20 December 2007.

Panathinaikos at home: one defeat in last 18 European fixtures

At home, Inter's Greek opponents have lost just won of their last 18 European games. That defeat, a 2-1 Champions League loss on 22 November 2005, came at the hands of Italian side Udinese. Inter's summer signing Sulley Muntari played 75 minutes of that match. In the other 17 matches, Panathinaikos have won 11 and drawn 6. They have won 6 and drawn 4 since that defeat to Udinese.

One goal conceded in last 9 home games

Panathinaikos have conceded just one goal in their last nine home matches. It came in their 1-1 UEFA Cup draw with Glasgow Rangers on 21 February 2008.

Inter in Europe: 206 minutes without scoring

The Nerazzurri haven't scored in Europe since Julio Cruz's 64th-minute goal in PSV Eindhoven 0-1 Inter on 12 December 2007. A total of 206 competitive minutes have elapsed since then (remaining 26 minutes of PSV-Inter plus Liverpool 2-0 Inter and Inter 0-1 Liverpool in the last sixteen).

Vieira set for 100th 'Italian' appearance

If selected to play against Panathinaikos, Inter's Patrick Vieira will complete his century of appearances for Italian clubs. The French midfielder, who has collected 99 appearances (70 in Serie A, 10 in Coppa Italia, 16 in European cups and 3 in other tournaments) for AC Milan, Juventus and Inter, made his 'Italian' debut in AC Milan's 1-1 Coppa Italia draw at Bologna on 28 November 1995.

The ref: Mejuto Gonzalez

Spanish official Enrique Mejuto Gonzalez, born on 16 April 1965, has been an international referee since 1999. He has refereed the Nerazzurri on three previous occasions in Europe's top competition: Inter 1-2 Lyon in 2002/03, Arsenal 0-3 Inter in 2003/04 and Inter 2-1 Porto in 2005/06. Tuesday's clash at the Olympic Stadium is Gonzalez' second European game of the season after Fenerbahçe 2-1 Partizan in the qualifying stages.

DA IMPLEMENTARE
wins(1) draws(0) defeats(0)

ATHENS - Inter made the perfect start to their 2008/09 Champions League campaign with a 2-0 victory over Panathinaikos.

Mancini opened the scoring in the 27th minute of Tuesday's Group B opener, slotting beyond Galinovic after Ibrahimovic juggled the ball past two opponents. 

Second-half sub Adriano made sure of the points after replacing Mancini, crashing home his shot from Ibrahimovic's delightful through ball with five minutes remaining.

José Mourinho named a 4-3-3 lineup at the Olympic Stadium, starting with Quaresma, Ibrahimovic and Mancini in attack with a midfield line of Vieira, Cambiasso and Zanetti.

The Nerazzurri stepped up a gear after an early period of Panathinaikos pressure and Ibrahimovic slid wide from Vieira's inviting pass into the area.

Galinovic was forced into saves from Quaresma and Ibrahimovic as Inter imposed their domination before Mancini broke the deadlock.

Ten Cate's men could have equalised within minutes but the ever dependable Julio Cesar produced a tipped save from Bryce Moon's long-range effort.

The South African went close again minutes before the break, his shot from the edge of the box taking a deflection off Materazzi before coming back off the crossbar.

Ivanchitz, Cleyton and Salpingidis carved out chances as Greeks made an aggressive start to the second period, prompting Mourinho to shuffle his pack and introduce Figo and Muntari for Quaresma and Vieira.

Panathinaikos continued to press and Julio Cesar was kept busy, with Inter limited to counter-attacks.

Mourinho made his third change in the 82nd minute, and it proved to be the turning point.

Three minutes after replacing Mancini, Adriano celebrated with a goal his first competitive appearance for Inter since last October's Serie A visit to Reggina.

Panathinaikos 0-2 Inter (HT: 0-1)

Scorers: Mancini 27, Adriano 85.

Panathinaikos: 1 Galinovic; 24 Vintra, 23 Simao, 8 Goumas, 29 Nillson (17 Hristodoupoulos 72); 2 Moon (9 Souza 82), 15 Gilberto Silva, 4 Mattos; 10 Cleyton, 14 Salpingidis, 21 Karagounis (27 Ivanchitz 37).
Subs not used: 30 Tzorvas, 3 Sarriegi, 2 Tziolis, 31 Spyropoulos.
Coach: Henk Ten Cate.

Inter: 12 Julio Cesar; 13 Maicon, 2 Cordoba, 23 Materazzi, 6 Maxwell; 14 Vieira (20 Muntari 62), 19 Cambiasso, 4 Zanetti; 77 Quaresma (7 Figo 64), 8 Ibrahimovic, 33 Mancini (10 Adriano 82).
Subs not used: 1 Toldo, 9 Cruz, 39 Santon, 45 Balotelli.
Coach: José Mourinho.

Referee: Mejuto Gonzalez (Spain).

Booked: Materazzi 22, Cleyton 33, Maicon 46.

starting lineups

Galinovic 12 Julio Cesar
Moon 2 Cordoba
Mattos 4 Zanetti
Goumas 6 Maxwell
Cleyton 8 Ibrahimovic
Salpingidis 13 Maicon
Gilberto 14 Vieira
Karagounis 19 Cambiasso
Simao 23 Materazzi
Vintra 33 Mancini
Nilsson 77 Quaresma

substitutes

Tzorvas 1 Toldo
José Sarriegi 7 Figo
Souza 9 Cruz
Hristodoupoulos 10 Adriano
Tziolis 20 Muntari
Ivanchitz 39 Santon
Spyropoulos 45 Balotelli