Rafa Benítez's Greek Miracle: Panathinaikos Finds a New Pulse

Turnaround in Athens

Rafa Benítez, the former Real Madrid coach, arrived at Panathinaikos in the middle of a tightening crisis.

Panathinaikos sat ninth in the Greek league and was on the brink of exiting the Europa League, but the picture changed entirely after a few months.

Momentum after the Athens Derby

AS published details of Benítez's miracle at Panathinaikos; after beating Olympiakos in the Athens derby, Panathinaikos began to feel its value and strength.

Panathinaikos then sat fifth in the Greek table, four points away from the playoff places.

The team continued its good form, staying involved in the Europa League and the Greek Cup, reaching the semi-finals of the latter.

All that sparked a wave of optimism for Athens's greens, who had started the season in a slump.