Panathinaikos, with energy, well-organized play, and sound soccer strategy, defeated Ajax 3-1 in their second preseason friendly, and Nystrup’s work in the Netherlands is clearly paying off.

A team with a plan. With players who have worked on their teamwork and know how, where, and when to make their moves. And that is the greatest benefit of Jakob Nystrup’s work during Panathinaikos’s summer training camp this year. It was evident even in the toughest test against Ajax (3-1) that the “Greens” are a well-drilled unit that… has worked hard to generate that kind of intensity, apply pressure, and build more and more stamina in the style they aim to showcase in official matches.

In the match against Ermelo, Nistrup deployed Kamara and Cherin in midfield. Tetei once again showed he was ready to contribute in a very different and more effective way on the front line, while Triantafyllos Tsapras (who came on in the 14th minute due to a forced substitution for Calabria) was already proving from the right why he was signed.

The “Greens” dominated the first half-hour. In the 15th minute, Tetei broke away from the cross to meet Tsapras’s through ball and made it 1-0, while Zarouri, in the 30th minute, doubled Panathinaikos’ lead following a beautiful one-two between Jagiusic and Ingason (who found the Croatian with a backheel). The Dutch managed to test the defensive reactions of Panathinaikos’ players in the final 15 minutes of the first half.

Ajax “recovered” from the first half-hour—which was terrible for them but excellent for the “clover.” In fact, they even managed to pull one back, though it came from a set piece. Konantu’s header in the 43rd minute made it 2-1, and the same player, in the first play where the ball was on the ground and the “Greens” failed to deal with it properly, threatened with a diagonal shot.

The control that had been lost in the final stretch of the first half was regained in the second 45 minutes, though Ajax was not allowed the same explosive attacking intensity. Aias was better organized at the back and forced Nistrup’s players into a more set-piece style of play. Still, there were some good moments of teamwork. Kontouris played as a number 10, Tsiriveya contributed in midfield, initially alongside Kamara and then with Siopis, while Rastonder made his first unofficial appearance in the green jersey.

In fact, in the 66th minute, during yet another moment when the Panathinaikos players pressed brilliantly and won the ball, the team’s new forward was beaten in a one-on-one situation! Despite the many changes to the starting lineup, Nistrup saw his players maintain their discipline on the field, although it was only natural that fatigue would take its toll. As the minutes ticked by, the Dutch took advantage of the “Greens’” declining performance as they began to tire, but aside from a long-range shot that hit the crossbar, there was no serious danger.

*photo source: Panathinaikos FC / Panathinaikos FC