Greek side Panathiniakos are 90 minutes away from a European league phase thanks to American defender Erik Palmer-Brown.
Palmer-Brown scored the winning goal for Panathinaikos in a 2-1 first leg win over Turkish side Samsunspor in the UEFA Europa League playoff round. The American defender’s looping header in the 74th minute would give the Greek club a slight edge heading into next week’s second leg.
Tete’s corner kick was flicked past goalkeeper Okan Kocuk by Palmer-Brown, putting the hosts in front on the night. It marked Palmer-Brown’s first goal for the club and his first overall since the 2019-20 campaign with Austria Vienna.
Panathinaikos would hang on for the first leg victory, taking major confidence into its trip to Turkey next week. Palmer-Brown, who missed most of last season through injury, has started this season off on a strong note.
Now he will aim to help Panathinaikos reach the league phase and also retain his starting spot for the second leg.
Elsewhere in Europe, Dante Polvara scored in Aberdeen’s first leg draw with FCSB. Cameron Carter-Vickers went the distance in Celtic’s disappointing 0-0 first leg draw with Kairat Almaty.
In England, Lynden Gooch helped Huddersfield Town defeat Doncaster Rovers in EFL League One action.
Here is a closer look at this week’s Americans Abroad:
Europe
Champions League Qualifying
Cameron Carter-Vickers started and played 90 minutes in Celtic’s 0-0 first leg draw with Kairat Almaty on Wednesday.
Auston Trusty came off the bench and played 14 minutes for Celtic.
Josh Wynder did not dress in Benfica’s 0-0 first leg draw with Fenerbahce on Wednesday.
Europa League Qualifying
Erik Palmer-Brown started, scored ONE GOAL, and played 90 minutes in Panathinaikos 2-1 first leg win over Samsunspor on Thursday.
Dante Polvara came off the bench, scored ONE GOAL, and played 32 minutes in Aberdeen’s 2-2 first leg draw with FCSB on Thursday.
Conference League Qualifying
Chris Richards dressed but did not play in Crystal Palace’s 1-0 first leg win over Fredrikstad on Thursday.
Lennard Maloney dressed but did not play in Mainz’s 2-1 first leg loss to Rosenborg on Thursday.
Konrad De La Fuente did not dress in Lausanne’s 1-1 first leg draw with Besiktas on Thursday.
Gavin Beavers dressed but did not play in Brondby’s 0-0 first leg draw with Strasbourg on Thursday.
England
League One
Lynden Gooch started and played 90 minutes in Huddersfield Town’s 2-0 win over Doncaster Rovers on Tuesday.
National League
Aidan Dausch did not dress in Forest Green Rovers’ 4-0 win over Sutton United on Wednesday.
Finland
Cup Semifinal
Benji Michel did not dress in HJK’s 1-0 win over AC Oulu on Thursday.
For those who don’t know, Greece and Turkey really don’t like one another and have often been in conflict. That means that Palmer-Brown is now the toast of Athens and may not have to pay for a drink for quite a while.