Moroccan Striker, Ayoub El Kaabi struck four minutes from the end of extra time to secure Olympiakos’ victory over Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final.
The striker,’s pivotal in Olympiakos’ journey to the final, headed in Santiago Hezze’s cross, igniting celebrations at the AEK Arena in Athens. A lengthy VAR check confirmed El Kaabi’s 11th goal of the competition, cementing their historic win and making them the first Greek club to win a European trophy.
For their opponent, Florentina, it was a second consecutive year of heartbreak after their defeat by West Ham in the previous season’s final. Olympiakos started strong, driven by their fervent supporters who had traveled from Piraeus to northern Athens. It marked only the second European final for a Greek team, while Fiorentina were in their sixth.
The first half saw few clear chances despite promising action. On-loan Wolves midfielder, Daniel Podence forced a fine save from Fiorentina goalkeeper, Pietro Terracciano early on, while Giacomo Bonaventura’s weak effort was easily saved by Konstantinos Tzolakis. Fiorentina’s best chance came in the second half when right-back, Dodo set up Christian Kouame, whose poor contact allowed Tzolakis to clear.
Extra time brought more tension, with El Kaabi—who scored five goals in the semi-finals against Aston Villa—rising to the occasion once again. Olympiakos, underdogs despite thrashing Villa 6-2 on aggregate in the semi-finals, were determined to make history.
Previously, Panathinaikos was the only Greek team to reach a European final, losing to Ajax in the 1971 European Cup final. As the match wore on, both teams seemed content to gamble on penalties. However, a late attack saw El Kaabi, whose career spans Morocco, China, Turkey, Qatar, and Greece, in the perfect position to secure his place in Olympiakos folklore.
