Europa Conference League final
Olympiakos 1-0 Fiorentina - El Kaabi heads 115th-minute opener
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FT: Olympiakos 1-0 Fiorentina
That's the end of this live text. Thanks for joining us tonight.
If you click the report tab on this page you can read the full match report from Athens.
We'll be back on Saturday for the Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid at Wembley.
FT: Olympiakos 1-0 Fiorentina
English players have won the Europa Conference League every season.
In 2022, Tammy Abraham, Chris Smalling and Ainsley Maitland-Niles were in the Roma squad which won.
Last year there were several in West Ham's team.
And Omar Richards, on loan from Nottingham Forest, was on Olympiakos' bench today.
FT: Olympiakos 1-0 Fiorentina
It's a third cup final defeat for Fiorentina and manager Vincenzo Italiano in the past year or so.
They lost the Europa Conference League and the Coppa Italia last year.
FT: Olympiakos 1-0 Fiorentina
Ayoub El Kaabi (11) is the first player to score more than 10 knockout goals in a single European campaign since both Derlei (Porto) and Henrik Larsson (Celtic) in 2002-03.
FT: Olympiakos 1-0 Fiorentina
Olympiakos will be in the Europa League next season as a result of this win.
Fiorentina will be back in the Europa Conference League for a third consecutive season.
FT: Olympiakos 1-0 Fiorentina
Fiorentina are the first club to be runners-up in the same European competition in consecutive seasons since Benfica in the Europa League in 2013 and 2014.
FT: Olympiakos 1-0 Fiorentina
Olympiakos forward Stevan Jovetic told TNT Sports: "Amazing. For Olympiakos and me. Really proud of my guys. We did great all year and deserved it. I have to compliment Fiorentina, two years in a row. A shame for them."
On the long VAR wait for the goal: "I didn't know if it was for a foul or offside but once he said offside I knew it was a goal."
On tonight's party: "It will be amazing. I can't wait."
FT: Olympiakos 1-0 Fiorentina
Ayoub El Kaabi - with 16 goals (two in Europa League qualifiers, three in Europa League group stages and 11 in Europa Conference League knockout rounds) is the top scorer in a European campaign since Cristiano Ronaldo hit the same amount of Champions League goals for Real Madrid in 2015-16.
Remarkably the 30-year-old had never played in European competition before this season.
Image source, Getty ImagesFT: Olympiakos 1-0 Fiorentina
The engraver is etching Olympiakos' name on the trophy.
Probably a lot of pressure when you're being filmed doing that.
Like when my old boss used to stand over my shoulder to watch me write.
FT: Olympiakos 1-0 Fiorentina
It is a remarkable double for Jose Luis Mendilibar, who became Olympiakos' third manager of the season in February.
This is the second season in a row he has taken over a team after Christmas and reached a European final.
Last year he became Sevilla boss in March and won the Europa League. He got sacked in October.
The 63-year-old Spaniard had never won a major trophy before that.
He is the fifth manager to reach back-to-back European finals with different teams after Sven-Goran Eriksson (Gothenburg, Benfica), Hector Cuper (Mallorca, Valencia), Rafael Benitez (Valencia, Liverpool) and Thomas Tuchel (PSG, Chelsea).
Only Benitez and now Mendilibar won both finals.
FT: Olympiakos 1-0 Fiorentina
Olympiakos players go over to celebrate with their fans. Great scenes for Greek fans in Athens.
Image source, Getty ImagesFT: Olympiakos 1-0 Fiorentina
Fiorentina lose in the Europa Conference League final for the second year in a row.
Olympiakos 1-0 Fiorentina
It's all over.
Olympiakos are the first Greek team to ever win a European trophy.
Olympiakos 1-0 Fiorentina
Olympiakos head it away.
Olympiakos 1-0 Fiorentina
Into the final minute now. Fiorentina's keeper has the ball.
Olympiakos 1-0 Fiorentina
Olympiakos fans waving scarves everywhere. Two minutes from glory.
Olympiakos 1-0 Fiorentina
Olympiakos bring off goalscorer Ayoub El Kaabi and replace him with fellow Moroccan Youssef El Arabi.
Olympiakos 1-0 Fiorentina
Fiorentina have a chance to level but David Carmo blocks Jonathan Ikone's shot.
Olympiakos 1-0 Fiorentina
Five minutes added on. We're into them.
Olympiakos 1-0 Fiorentina
That is Ayoub El Kaabi's 11th Europa Conference League goal in nine games.
The 30-year-old Morocco striker also netted five in the Europa League (including qualifiers) before Christmas.
Image source, Getty Images
Olympiakos striker Ayoub El Kaabi has scored 11 goals in the Europa Conference League this season
Ayoub El Kaabi struck four minutes from the end of extra time as Olympiakos beat Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final to become the first Greek club side to win a European trophy.
The Moroccan striker, hero of Olympiakos' run to the final, stooped low to head in Santiago Hezze's cross and spark pandemonium in the AEK Arena in Athens.
A lengthy video assistant referee check confirmed El Kaabi's 11th goal of the competition and their place in Greek footballing history.
It is a second year of dramatic heartbreak for Fiorentina after the Italian side were beaten by West Ham in last season's final thanks to Jarrod Bowen's late goal.
Olympiakos flew out of the blocks as they attempted to reward their ferocious support, who had travelled the short distance from Piraeus to the home of their rivals AEK in northern Athens.
It was only the second time a Greek team had reached a European final while Fiorentina were playing in their sixth.
Both sides traded blows in a first half that promised goalmouth action but resulted in few clear chances.
On-loan Wolves midfielder Daniel Podence forced Fiorentina goalkeeper Pietro Terracciano into a fine save down his left in the opening three minutes.
Giacomo Bonaventura should have given Fiorentina the lead but his tentative effort in the box safely dropped into Konstantinos Tzolakis’ arms.
The Italians put together the best move of the night in the second half as right-back Dodo surged forward and found Christian Kouame in space inside the box but his poor contact on the ball allowed Tzolakis to claw it clear.
Extra time was needed and it was El Kaabi - who scored five goals in the semi-finals against Aston Villa - who rose to the occasion again.
Olympiakos thrashed Unai Emery's fancied Villa side 6-2 on aggregate in the semi-finals but they still came into this game as underdogs against a Fiorentina team looking to right the wrongs of last season.
Panathinaikos were the only previous Greek team to feature in a European final, when they were beaten by Ajax in the 1971 European Cup final at Wembley.
As the game wore on, and chances became scarce, it looked like both sides would be happy to chance their luck in a penalty shootout.
But the Greek side committed men forward in a late attack and the 30-year-old El Kaabi - whose career has taken him from Morocco to China, Turkey, Qatar and now Greece - was in the right place to write his name in Olympiakos folklore.
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 14 |
| |
| 2 | Slovan Bratislava | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 10 |
|
| 3 | Olimpija | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 9 | -5 | 6 |
|
| 4 | KÍ | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 9 | -4 | 4 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 9 | 5 | 15 |
|
| 2 | Gent | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 7 | 9 | 13 |
|
| 3 | Zorya | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 11 | -1 | 7 |
|
| 4 | Breidablik | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 18 | -13 | 0 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Viktoria Plzeň | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 18 |
|
| 2 | Dinamo Zagreb | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 9 |
|
| 3 | Astana | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 13 | -9 | 4 |
|
| 4 | Ballkani | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 7 | -4 | 4 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Club Brugge | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 12 | 16 |
|
| 2 | Bodø / Glimt | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 10 |
|
| 3 | Beşiktaş | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 14 | -7 | 4 |
|
| 4 | Lugano | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 14 | -8 | 4 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 13 |
| |
| 2 | Legia Warszawa | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 12 |
|
| 3 | AZ | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 12 | -5 | 6 |
|
| 4 | Zrinjski | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 10 | -4 | 4 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 12 |
| |
| 2 | Ferencváros | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 10 |
|
| 3 | Genk | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 9 |
|
| 4 | Čukarički | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 16 | -14 | 0 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PAOK | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 16 |
|
| 2 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 9 |
| |
| 3 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 6 |
| |
| 4 | HJK | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 17 | -10 | 2 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fenerbahçe | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 12 |
|
| 2 | Ludogorets | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 12 |
|
| 3 | Nordsjælland | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 10 |
|
| 4 | Spartak Trnava | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 15 | -12 | 1 |
|
Manager: José Luis Mendilibar
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Manager: Vincenzo Italiano
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Manager: José Luis Mendilibar
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Manager: Vincenzo Italiano
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
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