AEK scored a memorable victory at Samsunspor to qualify in the Conference League, while Panathinaikos and PAOK picked one point each from their Europa League games on Thursday.
At the Olympic Stadium of Athens Panathinaikos conceded a goalless draw to Viktoria Plzen that felt like a defeat.
Vaclav Jemelka got booked twice in the first 32 minutes to leave Viktoria with 10 men. Panathinaikos played a cat-and-mouse game for the last hour of the game, but the true chances it created were few and far between, wasting its time in endless crosses into the box instead.
The Greens are now on 10 points from six games and have two more matches left to play for the Europa League.
For the same competition, PAOK played out a gripping 3-3 draw at Ludogorets in Bulgaria, to collect its ninth point after six matches.
After 32 minutes without goals, Petar Stanic put Ludogorets in front. PAOK bounced back with strikes by former Ludogorets player Kiril Despodov on the 39th and Alessandro Vogliacco nine minutes later, but the hosts responded with Olivier Verdon and Ivaylo Chochev from the 70th to the 77th minute.
However, PAOK salvaged a draw on the 90th minute thanks to a goal by youngster Anestis Mythou.
AEK came from behind to beat Samsunspor 2-1 in Turkey and reach the top four of the Conference League standings.
The Athens team suffered a small shock after three minutes when Harold Moukoudi conceded an own goal. It prevented conceding any more in the rest of the first half, and in the second it came out with all guns blazing, turning things around in the first 20 minutes.
First it was a magnificent free-kick by Razvan Marin who pulled the sides level on the 52nd, and then Aboubakary Koita scored a spectacular goal after a solo effort from the right on the 63rd, to silence the crowd at the Black Sea city of Samsun.
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AEK now has 10 points from five games and has qualified to the knockout stages, while it is also likely to finish in the top eight and skip the next round. Next Thursday it is hosting Universitatea Craiova for its final game in the league phase.
