Zaroury hat-trick blasts Panathinaikos past wasteful Young Boys
Panathinaikos, without a permanent manager in the dugout, tore into Young Boys with a ruthless first-half burst and never looked back, sealing a 4-1 win that gives them one of only a handful of victories they’ve managed in European group football these past years. Anass Zaroury was the star, rattling in a hat-trick that left the Swiss champions shell-shocked and their supporters wondering how so many chances went begging.
The Greek side have been stumbling badly in the league, but you wouldn’t have known it from the way they ripped into the hosts. Karol Świderski opened the scoring after 20 minutes, reacting sharper than anyone else to a Tetê effort that was more mis-hit than shot, flicking it with just enough touch to send it past Marvin Keller. A scrappy goal, but it opened the floodgates.
Only a few minutes later it was Zaroury getting his first, latching onto a loose ball from a corner and absolutely hammering it into the roof of the net from close range. Young Boys defenders all over the place, Keller rooted. And before anyone had really settled from that, the Moroccan was celebrating again. Anastasios Bakasetas had a pop from distance, Keller spilled it in horrible fashion, and Zaroury pounced, finishing sharply from the tightest of angles. In the space of nine manic minutes it was 3-0 and the home crowd could barely believe what they were watching.
To their credit, Young Boys did try and rally, even had one chalked off for offside during that same spell, and they created enough to get back into it. Saidy Janko did pull one back just before the break, drilling into the bottom corner while Lafont in the Panathinaikos net stood badly out of position. But if that gave them hope, the misses that followed drained it right out again. Monteiro somehow blazed over from six yards, Maleš swung and volleyed wide when unmarked, and Fassnacht was denied by a desperate lunge with the goal yawning. Three golden chances gone, and the feeling it was just not going to be their night.
After a crazy first period the second was always going to struggle, and it turned flat for long stretches, Young Boys pressing but without real conviction, Panathinaikos happy to sit and pick their moments. The killer came on 68 minutes, Giannis Kotsiras swinging in a tempting cross and Zaroury arriving to smash home his third, a volley that sealed both the match and the match ball.
From there it was procession, Panathinaikos even had the luxury to ease off, while the Swiss side kept snatching at efforts, growing more frustrated by the minute. At full time the visiting players celebrated hard with their fans, who had seen so many limp European campaigns before, and this time left with something to savour.
For Young Boys, it’s another harsh reminder that chances missed at this level cost you dear. For Panathinaikos, maybe a fresh start, and maybe a new hero in Zaroury, who’ll remember this night for the rest of his career.