UEFA Conference League Tactical Analysis: How Panathinaikos broke Víkingur's resistance
Friday, February 21, 2025
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UEFA Technical Observer Dimitris Papadopoulos shows how the Greek side's attacking flexibility and persistence overcame a robust display of defensive cohesion by their history-making Icelandic opponents.
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Panathinaikos sealed a place in the UEFA Conference League round of 16 as a dramatic 95th-minute goal sealed a 3-2 aggregate victory after an away defeat in the first leg against Víkingur, which was played in Helsinki.
In this article, UEFA Technical Observer Dimitris Papadopoulos – working together with UEFA's analysis unit – casts a spotlight on the size of the task facing the home team and their ability to eventually find a way to breach the Icelandic side's formidable low block.
"It was a tough match that was decided in the details," explained Papadopoulos. "Víkingur tried to use their advantage from the first match, utilised their teamwork and cohesion, often waiting in the mid or low block in 1-5-4-1 and looking to counterattack whenever possible."
The difficulties this approach presented to the home side were considerable. The first video offers three glimpses of the Icelandic side's solid defensive structure. In clip one, the compactness in the low block stands out, with tight distances between the Víkingur players vertically and horizontally in a narrow 5-4-1 set-up. While this clip is early in the game, when energy levels were at their highest, it is worth noting how the same diligence, concentration and compactness remained in place until midway through the second half.
Clips two and three highlight later examples of the block, with the willingness of Víkingur's wingers to track runners and help out wing-backs a key feature of their defensive strength. At times, the 5-4-1 switched to a 5-3-2 structure with winger Ari Sigurpálsson (No17) offering a threat with pace and directness in transition.
Whether it was in the low block or the occasional high press, Sölvi Jónsson's Víkingur players impressed with their collective intensity.
"All the players stuck to the team's plan," said Papadopoulos, who highlighted their success in stopping the home team finding pockets of space or "breaking the lines" and praised the wide centre-backs Tarik Ibrahimagic and Sveinn Gísli Thorkelsson for "always being ready to jump and cover the defensive midfielders" while covering runners when Panathinaikos did enter the final third.
Despite failing to register a shot on target until the 92nd minute, the visitors did try to threaten with the ball. Papadopoulos noted the clever and timely interchanges between Sigurpálsson and the attacking left wing-back, Helgi Gudjonsson, who impressed in and out of possession.
So how did Panathinaikos eventually break down the Icelandic visitors described afterwards as "a tough nut to crack" by the Greek side's coach Rui Vitória? For Vitória it was about his team's "passion and quality" to persevere and find solutions. Papadopoulos agreed. "Panathinaikos' quality, intensity and patience gave them the win against tough opponents," he said.
The first two clips on the second video highlight the struggle for space behind the Víkingur back line. We see Panathinaikos captain and striker Fotis Ioannidis sneaking between two of the centre-backs to receive a diagonal ball. The second clip shows a rare moment when the Brazilian winger Tetê managed to get in behind Gudjonsson after the midfielder Azzedine Ounahi had eked out a sliver of space in midfield to turn and look up.
The game changed with the first goal, of course, which levelled the tie. But the rhythm of the match had altered a few minutes earlier when Vitória tweaked the formation, according to Papadopoulos. "They started with a 1-4-3-3 formation but charged to a 1-4-4-2 in the second half after the substitutions. Generally they attacked from the flanks with combinations of two or three players and tried to penetrate the box that way."
With forward Karol Świderski replacing an attacking midfielder Adam Gnezda Čerin, the home side's penetration from the wings increased. As the third clip on the second video shows another substitute, the right-back Giorgios Vagiannidis, played a key role in the crucial opening goal. After winning possession deep in his own half, Vagiannidis races forward to offer support to Tetê and eventually deliver a cross that results in a goal by his opposite full-back, Filip Mladenović.
Papadopoulos saw it as due reward for the left-back's persistence. "Mladenović had a big impact for his team," he explained. "He scored with great technique from a shot with his right foot and attacked from the left flank, delivering many crosses."
The winning goal, seen in the final clip, emphasises the huge difference between Víkingur's impregnable compactness in the first half and the latter stages when the home side seized control.
We see Panathinaikos exploit the gulf in distance between the back line and the pressing midfield four and capitalise on a long ball to get a shot on target that results in a first-time finish from Tetê after the rebound. With just two minutes of added time remaining, the game was over for the valiant visitors, who had already become the first Icelandic club to play in the league phase or group stage of a UEFA competition.
Papadopoulos offered a message for youth coaches looking to help players develop the resilience and mental fortitude to thrive at elite level. "Any team needs both defending and attacking attitudes to be complete," he explained. "The balance between them during 90 minutes of the match is important to win games. Panathinaikos showed this combination of qualities the most often and for that reason they won and made it to the next round."
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