Picture: (APA/AFP/THEOPHILE BLOUDANIS)
ATHENS. Olympiakos Piraeus has gained the Convention League, turning into the primary Greek membership ever to have a good time a European Cup triumph.
The Moroccan Ayoub El Kaabi determined the ultimate in opposition to AC Fiorentina on Wednesday Central European Time in Athens along with his objective within the 116th minute of additional time. It was already properly after midnight within the Greek capital when the 1-0 objective was scored. Fiorentina misplaced the ultimate in opposition to West Ham, similar to final 12 months.
After two hard-fought halves, many had anticipated the sport to be determined by penalties. However then El Kaabi threw himself right into a cross from the left within the penalty space and headed the ball into the objective. The VAR checked for a potential offside place and eventually awarded the objective. It was the sixteenth objective of the European Cup season for the 30-year-old.
Fiorentina had certified for the Convention League within the play-offs. The workforce from the Tuscan capital had narrowly overwhelmed SK Speedy 2-1 in two video games on the finish of August 2023. Within the ultimate, luck abandoned the eighth-placed workforce in Serie A.
Bild: (APA/AFP/ANGELOS TZORTZINIS)
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Bild: (APA/AFP/ANGELOS TZORTZINIS)
Recreation began entertainingly
The 2 groups have been on equal phrases from the beginning within the AEK Athens stadium. The primary harmful shot of the match got here from the Greeks. Fiorentina goalkeeper Pietro Terracciano needed to intervene when Daniel Podence (4th) shot from the sting of the penalty space. The Italians instantly held their very own and even celebrated a objective within the tenth minute, nevertheless it was dominated out for offside.
After the wild opening section, the sport calmed down a bit earlier than Fiorentina’s Giacomo Bonaventura was chargeable for a double probability within the twenty first minute: first, his shot from too centrally with the within of his foot was simple prey for Konstantinos Tzolakis, and just some seconds later the Greek keeper saved in a one-on-one in opposition to the 34-year-old. Within the ultimate section, the Moroccan El Kaabi appeared within the Violets’ penalty space for the primary time. The Olympiakos objective scorer collided with Terracciano and was punished with a foul whistle.
Goalless in additional time
The second 45 minutes have been quite disjointed. Many interrupted or unintentional actions and ball losses characterised the proceedings on each side. The depth remained excessive – each within the stands and on the pitch. Nevertheless, there have been no notable probabilities for a very long time till Fiorentina’s Christian Kouamé was fully free to shoot within the penalty space within the 69th minute. The Ivorian didn’t hit the ball ideally with the within of his foot, however Tzolakis nonetheless needed to stretch and clear the rebound for a nook.
For the Greeks, Vicente Iborra (eightieth minute) caught a cross within the penalty space, his header narrowly missed the left submit. Teammate El Kaabi (84th minute) additionally narrowly missed a free kick cross – the well-known “fortunate punch” wouldn’t work. The clock ticked down relentlessly, together with seven minutes of stoppage time, and the seemingly inevitable additional time grew to become a certainty shortly earlier than midnight native time. On this additional time, Terracciano parried a long-range shot from Stevan Jovetic (96th minute), whereas on the opposite facet Jonathan Ikone was stopped by Tzolakis (a hundred and tenth minute). Then got here the Greek tragedy for the “Viola”.
Olympiakos Piraeus – ACF Fiorentina 1:0 aet (0:0)
Athen, AEK Enviornment, 32,000 Zuschauer, SR Artur Soares Dias (POR)
Tor: 1:0 (116.) El Kaabi
Olympiakos: Tzolakis – Rodinei, Retsos, Carmo, Ortega (91. Quini), Hezze, Iborra – Podence (106. Masouras), Chiquinho (77. Andre Horta), Fortounis (73. Jovetic) – El Kaabi (122. El Arabi)
Fiorentina: Terracciano – Dodo, Milenkovic, Martinez Quarta, Biraghi (106. Ranieri) – Arthur Melo (74. Duncan), Mandragora – Gonzalez (106. Beltran), Bonaventura (82. Barak), Kouame (82. Ikone) – Belotti (59 . Nzola)
Yellow playing cards: Podence, Jovetic, Paschalakis, El Kaabi and Martinez Quarta, Kouame, Biraghi
