(Athens) On the roof of Olympus! Olympiakos won the Europa Conference League, the first European title for a Greek club, by beating Fiorentina after extra time (1-0) on Wednesday evening in Athens.
Thanks to this victory, the Piraeus club is assured of participating in the Europa League (C3) next season.
Fiorentina lost for the second consecutive year in the final of this C4 after its failure last season against the English club West Ham.
In a match that was locked down for a long time and lacking in opportunities, we had to wait until the end of extra time and long minutes of VAR verification to grant a goal from Ayoub El Kaabi in the 116the minute and deliver Olympiakos.
Very little in sight throughout the match, the Moroccan striker waited for the best moment to score his 11e goal in the competition, of which he is the top scorer, by heading a cross from Santiago Hezze from six meters.
In the stadium of rival AEK Athens, carried by 15,000 red and white supporters, the Greeks were the first to appear dangerous. From the 3e minute, winger Podence saw his shot at the edge of the area diverted for a corner by Terracciano.
The Florentines responded quickly and thought they had opened the score in the 8e minute on a low cross, but the goal was refused for an offside position by Milenkovic.
Despite a lively and engaged start to the match, the pace of the match gradually fell, undermined by numerous technical inaccuracies.
“History”
The second half, particularly choppy, saw contacts multiply. The tension increased over the minutes and the shocks were then rougher, requiring the intervention of the trainers for Retsos (48e) then Podence (62e).
On a tightrope, the two teams tried to force the decision, but Tzolakis ahead of Kouamé (68e) and Terraccino against Jovetic (95e) showed themselves to be imperial in preserving their clean sheets.
The Greeks could have ruminated on a handball not whistled in the Italian area at the very start of extra time, but while the players seemed to be waiting for the penalty shootout, El Kaabi’s lightning delivered his team in front of a red and white corner unleashed.
“It’s historic for the club. We had a very good season. It’s very important to lift this trophy,” reacted the striker.
Author of a failed start to the championship, Olympiakos has changed technicians three times, seven times in total over the last two seasons, but has transformed since the arrival on the bench of the Spaniard José Luis Mendilibar in February, finishing in third place in the Greek Super League.
Winner of the Europa League with Sevilla last year, the 63-year-old coach achieved a European double in two years.
After the meeting, Mendilibar said he was “very happy and satisfied” to have “achieved something that our club had never achieved before”, before adding: “It was a marathon, but it was worth it “.
Olympiakos, the most successful club in Greece with 47 championships and 28 national cups, adds a new line to its already extensive list of achievements. The most prestigious. The Piraeus club, which will celebrate its hundredth anniversary next year, continues to write its legend.