Tomasz Kedziora

Panathinaikos emerged victorious from a rare Cup semifinal thriller against PAOK on Wednesday, snatching the ticket to the final in the penalty shootout having escaped elimination with the last kick of the extra time.

PAOK and AEK canceled each other out at Sunday's Super League top-of-the-table clash at Toumba, a result that has allowed Panathinaikos and Olympiakos to edge closer to the top with their convincing wins.

Olympiakos will need to win in Ukraine next week, or at least snatch a 3-3 draw, if it is to go through to the round of 16 of the Europa League, after conceding a late equalizer to Dynamo Kiev for a 2-2 first-leg score in Piraeus on Thursday.