Olympiacos claim first major European trophy

UK (Commonwealth) _ Ayoub El Kaabi’s late extra-time goal handed Fiorentina their second straight Europa Conference League final loss, and leaving Olympiacos to win their first major European championship.

El Kaabi scored the game’s only goal in extra time, sparking a forgettable finale at the home of Olympiacos’ rivals AEK Athens, with just four minutes remaining. At time, no players expected the goal came from the boot of Kaabi, who had been brilliant in the tournament throughout. 

After losing to West Ham in the final, Fiorentina was left wondering what may have been, as the Greek club celebrated being the first team in their nation to win a European championship. El Kaabi’s effort was met with a protracted VAR review when it appeared to be offside, but it went on to resolve a final that had not come to life until then.

Earlier in the match, Fiorentina had not had such good fortune. With barely ten minutes remaining, the Italians appeared to have broken the stalemate when defender Nikola Milenkovic headed home, only for it to be disallowed for offside.

At the end of a close first half that, predictably, finished goalless, Nicolas Gonzalez erred when given a great opportunity for Fiorentina. The Serie A team was creating more chances despite the lack of goalmouth action, but Christian Kouame was the next player to err when in a strong position. Olympiacos refused to give up and began creating their own opportunities, but Vicente Iborra was only able to sidestep a header as the Europa Conference League final entered overtime for the first time. Replace Former Fiorentina forward Stevan Jovetic pushed Pietro Terracciano into a great save, but the individual highlight that was required to break the stalemate was just seconds away.

El Kaabi had a fantastic season, scoring five goals in the semi-final victory over Aston Villa. His 33rd goal of the year set up frenzied celebrations in Piraeus as he bent to head home a cross from Santiago Hezze.

After a protracted VAR review that saw players from both teams fall to their knees, Olympiacos ultimately prevailed, and head coach Jose Luis Mendilibar—the team’s third manager of the year—saw out the final minutes to secure back-to-back European trophies after leading Sevilla to victory in the Europa League the previous season.

In the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday, Olympiakos defeated Fiorentina 1-0 in extra time to become the first Greek team to win a European championship. In the 116th minute, Moroccan forward Ayoub El Kaabi scored the game-winning goal, enabling Jose Luis Mendilibar’s team to create history at home against AEK Athens.

Panathinaikos, the only Greek team to reach a European final before Olympiakos’ achievement, was defeated by an Ajax team led by Johan Cruyff in the 1971 European Cup final. Both teams came out firing, with Daniel Podence forcing Fiorentina goalkeeper Pietro Terracciano into a superb save and Andrea Belotti missing a strike when he had a decent chance at the opposite end.

After nine minutes, Fiorentina believed they had grabbed the lead, but Nikola Milenkovic’s header past Olympiakos’ Konstantinos Tzolakis was promptly ruled for offside. Soon after, Giacomo Bonaventura was denied a goal by Greek goaltender Tzolakis, and Nicolas Gonzalez then misjudged his volley when in a position to score as Fiorentina’s first-half opportunities were superior.

The second half saw a decline in shots on goal, but in minute 69, Tzolakis saved Olympiakos once more, making a smart adjustment to dive backward and save Christian Kouame’s scuffed, bouncing attempt.

In the last ten minutes, experienced Olympiakos forward Vicente Iborra came dangerously close to breaking the stalemate with a header from a free-kick that went just wide of the Fiorentina goal. However, as the game finally drifted into extra time, this was the last meaningful opportunity of regulation time.

Four minutes into extra time, Olympiakos made a fruitless attempt to get a penalty kick, but the referee determined that the defender’s arm was in a natural position when Stevan Jovetic’s cross hit it just inside the box.

A minute later, just as the game appeared to be picking up steam again, former Fiorentina legend Jovetic, who had come on from the Olympiakos bench, forced a fine save from Terracciano with a curling 20-yard effort.