Aberdeen suffered their heaviest European defeat in over 20 years after losing 3-0 to Panathinaikos.
Panathinaikos prove too strong for Aberdeen
Aberdeen suffered their heaviest European defeat in over 20 years after losing 3-0 to Panathinaikos in their Uefa Cup Group B opener.
Andreas Ivanschitz was the tormentor-in-chief, creating all three of Panathinaikos' goals, starting with Giannis Goumas' opener on 11 minutes.
The visitors had chances to equalise before substitute Dimitrios Papadopoulos scored the Greeks' second on 73 minutes and four minutes later Dimitrios Salpingidis added the third.
Though Pana were quickly on the front foot from the first whistle, Aberdeen should have scored after just four minutes.
Dons go close
Richard Foster burst down the left flank and his cut-back eluded the home defence, finding its way to Chris Clark 12 yards out, but he could only lift his volley over the bar.
Pana's response was to take the lead on 11 minutes when Ivanschitz whipped in a free-kick from the right which was flicked home at the near post by Goumas.
Moments later and Aberdeen keeper Jamie Langfield produced a superb one-handed save to prevent Dama N'Doye's low shot creeping inside the post.
Derek Young headed wide from a long throw-in for The Dons before Scott Severin, who had been unluckily booked for a foul on N'Doye, blazed over from 25 yards.
Pana on top
Good defending at the start of the second half from Zander Diamond stopped a clear shooting opportunity for N'Doye before the merest of touches denied Barry Nicholson a clear header at goal.
From there, all the best chances fell Pana's way, with N'Doye turning Salpingidis' cross past the post and Alexandros Tziolis heading Ivanschitz's corner wide.
The killer second goal arrived on 73 minutes when Ivanschitz - dubbed the 'Austrian Beckham' - slipped a clever pass into the run of Papadopoulos, who drilled a low shot past Langfield.
Just four minutes later it was 3-0 when Salpingidis turned a loose ball into the net after Langfield's one-handed save from Ivanschitz's sweetly-struck free-kick.
