May 30 – Ayoub El Kaabi struck four minutes from the end of extra time as Olympiakos broke the hearts of Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday to become the first Greek club side ever to lift a European trophy.
The Moroccan striker, hero of Olympiakos’ run to the final and who finished as the competition’s top scorer, stooped low to head home for the only goal of the game, sparking pandemonium in the AEK Arena in Athens and across the capital.
A lengthy video assistant referee check confirmed El Kaabi was onside to ensure his team their place in Greek footballing history.
The final in what was virtually a home tie, took place amid a massive security operation given Greek football’s reputation for fan violence.
On the field it was a second year of dramatic heartbreak for Fiorentina after they were beaten by West Ham in last season’s final, also thanks to a last-gasp goal. The Italians will justifiably feel hard done by, having had much the better of a largely lacklustre, quality-free final of Europe’s third-tier competition – poorer sister of both the Champions League and Europa League.
The trophy presentation was a moment to treasure, however, for Olympiakos manager Jose Luis Mendilibar, who won the Europa League with Sevilla last season and took over the Greek club only in February.
“I am very happy that we achieved something that the club had not achieved before. We will celebrate, we will cheer and then we will get back to work for what comes next,” Mendilibar said.
Defeat was a bitter pill to swallow for Fiorentina, who also lost the Coppa Italia final last season and had reached this season’s Europa Conference League summit without losing a game.
“We created chances and had the opportunity to lift the cup but unfortunately it didn’t happy – I’m sorry,” said manager Vicenzo Italiano. “In Europe it’s not an easy thing to get this far and lose. It hurts to see my players cry. We really believed this time we could have a different epilogue to this campaign.”
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