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Champions League play-off round, second leg

Panathinaikos 0 - Málaga 0

Málagaare through to the league stage of the Champions League after a 2-0 aggregate win over Panathinaikos! There were fears that the atmosphere in the OAOK stadium in Athens may be overwhelming for some of the young players, but Pellegrini's side controlled the match throughout, and Willy Caballero didn't have a save to make until the last minute, when Sissoko shot straight at him. Fabrice and Isco caused some problems for the local defence early on, and Eliseu and Joaquín both thought they should have been awarded penalties by an inconsistent referee. After the restart Toulalan blasted a shot just over the top and Joaquín forced Karnezis in to a good save with a direct free kick. Things could have been different if Christodopoulos had not wasted a couple of dangerous free kicks either side of half time, but in the end the Spaniards felt they should have had the win on the night when Camacho headed in an Eliseu free kick only to be ruled offside. Málaga will be in Thursday evening's draw though, and Pellegrini will be hoping that his owners allow him to strengthen his squad before the transfer window closes on Friday night. (28.08.12)