Two seasoned players, 30-year-old Swedish striker Alexander Jeremejeff and 31-year-old Greek playmaker Anastasios Bakasetas, scored for Panathinaikos, with Bakasetas converting a penalty, before Alen Korosec reduced the deficit for Athens at the Olympic Stadium.
Despite a scare in the 71st minute, Panathinaikos held on to take a narrow lead to Bulgaria for head coach Alonso's first competitive away game in charge. Last week's first leg marked his debut following his summer arrival.
Alonso, previously with Inter Miami, Uruguay, and most recently Sevilla, aims to continue his flawless start at Panathinaikos while avoiding any unwanted setbacks for the team.
Panathinaikos has never been eliminated in the second round of Europa League qualifying and were close to reaching the Champions League group stage last year, only to be defeated by Braga and subsequently failing to advance from their second-tier UEFA group.
Panathinaikos' European experience far surpasses that of their hosts, Botev Plovdiv, who were regulars in the UEFA Cup's first round during the 1980s and 1990s but have yet to reach the Europa League proper, having been eliminated in the qualifying rounds three times.
If the Bulgarian team can overturn their 2-1 deficit and eliminate Panathinaikos on Thursday, they will match their best-ever Europa League performance. Botev Plovdiv has never advanced past the third round of the preliminary competition, previously bowing out at this stage in 2013 and 2017.
Botev Plovdiv qualified for UEFA's second-tier competition by winning the Bulgarian Cup in the 2023-24 season. Under the leadership of Dusan Kerkez, they defeated Maribor 4-3 on aggregate in the first round to set up their clash with Panathinaikos, who have not had to balance domestic commitments alongside their European matches.
In contrast, Botev Plovdiv has already played two games in the new Bulgarian First League season, earning an impressive four points from six available. They defeated Botev Vratsa and drew 2-2 with Lokomotiv Plovdiv over the weekend.
Kerkez's team faces a trip to Krumovgrad just three days after Thursday's second leg, as they vie for the chance to meet either Serbian club Vojvodina or former European giants Ajax in the penultimate preliminary round.
Panathinaikos' European experience far surpasses that of their hosts, Botev Plovdiv, who were regulars in the UEFA Cup's first round during the 1980s and 1990s but have yet to reach the Europa League proper, having been eliminated in the qualifying rounds three times.
If the Bulgarian team can overturn their 2-1 deficit and eliminate Panathinaikos on Thursday, they will match their best-ever Europa League performance. Botev Plovdiv has never advanced past the third round of the preliminary competition, previously bowing out at this stage in 2013 and 2017.
Botev Plovdiv qualified for UEFA's second-tier competition by winning the Bulgarian Cup in the 2023-24 season. Under the leadership of Dusan Kerkez, they defeated Maribor 4-3 on aggregate in the first round to set up their clash with Panathinaikos, who have not had to balance domestic commitments alongside their European matches.
In contrast, Botev Plovdiv has already played two games in the new Bulgarian First League season, earning an impressive four points from six available. They defeated Botev Vratsa and drew 2-2 with Lokomotiv Plovdiv over the weekend.
Kerkez's team faces a trip to Krumovgrad just three days after Thursday's second leg, as they vie for the chance to meet either Serbian club Vojvodina or former European giants Ajax in the penultimate preliminary round.
