The match was rescheduled twice due to Storm Benjamin, whose trajectory prompted Feyenoord to play the game at 16.45 CET instead of the initial 18.45 CET kick-off time. However, as the storm made landfall earlier than expected, Feyenoord rescheduled the game a second time, this time to 21.00 CET.
Starting with youngster Aymen Sliti on the left wing, manager Robin van Persie and his team were hoping to claim their first European victory of the season after losses to Braga and Aston Villa in the opening two rounds.
The home side thought they'd gone in front early when Sem Steijn fired the ball past Bartolomiej Dragowski in the tenth minute, but it was not to be, as the one-time Netherlands international was flagged offside.
Instead, the Greek visitors struck first via Karol Swiderski, who patiently waited for a rebound to come his way and put the ball in Feyenoord's net in the eighteenth minute.
Feyenoord played a sloppy first half and couldn't manage to create many clear-cut chances, with players missing easy passes and failing to connect in the final third.
However, Feyenoord salvaged the half at the death, thanks to Givairo Read. The young right-back was left all alone at the back post to slot an Aymen Sliti cross in the far corner with the last touch of the first half.
The Rotterdam outfit opened the second half brightly and quickly claimed their first lead of the evening when Anis Hadj Moussa fired the ball past Dragowski following a flawless dribble.
After momentarily being given a penalty that was taken away after a VAR check, and despite Luciano Valente's creatively sound display, Feyenoord kept Panathinaikos alive after keeping the foot off the gas for the majority of the second half. Hadj Moussa, Steijn and Ueda all fired shots at the Greek goal, but did not put the home side up three.
Canadian substitute Cyle Larin effectively ended the game in injury time after scoring the rebound from his own chance, putting the game out of Panathinaikos' reach.
Slovakian talent Leo Sauer got a massive opportunity at giving Feyenoord a 4-1 win, but the winger failed to hit the target on a one-on-one with Dragowski in the final minute of injury time. Van Persie's outfit got the win nonetheless, claiming their first UEFA Europa League win of the season.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Luciano Valente (Feyenoord)