In a thrilling Europa Conference League final, Olympiakos etched their name in Greek footballing history.
Ayoub El Kaabi, the Moroccan striker who had been the hero of Olympiakos’ journey to the final, delivered a decisive blow four minutes into extra time. Stooping low, he met Santiago Hezze’s cross with a powerful header, igniting pandemonium in the AEK Arena in Athens.
The video assistant referee confirmed El Kaabi’s 11th goal of the competition, sealing Olympiakos’ place as the first Greek side to win a European trophy. For Fiorentina, it was a second year of heartbreak, reminiscent of their defeat by West Ham in the previous season’s final, courtesy of Jarrod Bowen’s late goal.
Olympiakos wasted no time, flying out of the blocks to reward their passionate supporters who had made the short journey from Piraeus to the home of their rivals, AEK, in northern Athens. This historic moment marked only the second time a Greek team had reached a European final, while Fiorentina had participated in six such finals.
The first half saw both sides exchange blows, promising goalmouth action but yielding few clear chances. On-loan Wolves midfielder Daniel Podence tested Fiorentina goalkeeper Pietro Terracciano with a fine left-footed shot early on. Giacomo Bonaventura had an opportunity to give Fiorentina the lead, but his tentative effort landed safely in Konstantinos Tzolakis’ arms.
The Italians orchestrated the best move of the night in the second half. Right-back Dodo surged forward and found Christian Kouame in space inside the box, but Kouame’s poor contact allowed Tzolakis to make a crucial save.
As extra time loomed, El Kaabi stepped up once again. Having scored five goals in the semi-finals against Aston Villa, he proved to be Olympiakos’ talisman. Despite thrashing Unai Emery’s favored Villa side 6-2 on aggregate in the semis, Olympiakos entered the final as underdogs against Fiorentina—a team determined to rectify the disappointments of the previous season.
Not since Panathinaikos in 1971 had a Greek team featured in a European final. That time, they fell to Ajax in the European Cup final at Wembley. As the clock ticked down and chances grew scarce, it seemed both sides were prepared to gamble on a penalty shootout.
But fate had other plans. In a late attacking move, the 30-year-old El Kaabi, whose football journey had taken him from Morocco to China, Turkey, Qatar, and now Greece, found himself in the right place. With his decisive header, he etched his name into Olympiakos folklore, forever remembered as the man who secured their historic European triumph.
