Dutch Media โHails Dean James After Key Europa League Performance
athens, Greece โค- Dean James earned praise from Dutch media outlets following a standout performance for โGo Ahead Eagles in their โ2-1 Europa League victory overโข Panathinaikos on Thursday, October 3, 2025. The Indonesian international provided two crucial assists, both finished by โMilan Smit, to secure the โคDutch side’s first win in theโ competitionโ this season.
James’s contributions came after Panathinaikos took an early lead through Karol Swiderski inโฃ the 55th minute. Smit equalized in โthe 75th minuteโฃ off a James cross, and then scored the winning goal seven minutes later, again assisted by James โfrom the left โคwing. The performance underscores james’s growing influence for Go Ahead Eagles, where he has tallied four assists in 10 appearances across all competitions.
Voetbalprimeur awarded James aโข rating of 7.5 for his performance, noting his impactโ despite a challenging match. “James had difficulty fighting Panathinaikos, but โthank you to the left backโ with โฃa proven quality,” the outlet wrote.”Goโ Ahead Eagles can realize โan impossible thing. With two good movements and two assists for Milanโข Smit, he helped Deventer secure victory.”
The โstrong showing โคisโค especially timely forโ James,as he prepares to join the Indonesian national team โfor the fourth round ofโฃ 2026 World Cup qualifying matchesโข against Saudi Arabia and Iraq nextโ week.