Olympiacos. And his lethal center forward Ayoub El Kaabi, the man who tore Aston Villa apart. Fiorentina discovered its opponent in the Conference League final on May 29th, which Mendilibar’s team earned by destroying the English 2-0 after having also beaten them in the first leg in Birmingham: it will be played in Athens, not in the Piraeus stadium but in that of AEK, which has also become the home of the national team. Olympiacos deserved to make history, to become the second Greek team ever to play in a cup final, the first to do so 15 km from their own stadium. He did it thanks to 5 goals in the two games from El Kaabi, a lethal center forward. And thanks to the sensational defense that canceled out Aston Villa’s desperate attempts to return to a European final for the first time since 1982 in the second leg.
the keys
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El Kaabi, cynicism, conviction and defense. This is how Olympiacos eliminated Aston Villa, favorites practically from the beginning of the competition and beaten twice. The 30-year-old Moroccan center forward will reach the final with 10 goals in 8 games played in 2024 in the Conference League, to which must be added 3 in 6 games in the Europa League, where the Greeks began their European season. As in the first leg, El Kaabi made great use of Aston Villa’s defensive amnesia, scoring both the first goal on the counterattack (in the 10th minute following an assist from the left by Quini, with Pau Torres late) and the definitive 2-0 in the 78′, goal initially disallowed for offside and then validated when the VAR discovered that Konsa was keeping the opponent in the game. Mendilibar’s defense was practically perfect: Aston Villa had over 70% of ball possession, but never created any real problems for goalkeeper Tzolakis. Emery regrets having arrived at the climax of the European season with a full infirmary and worn-out starters, without having the chance to find someone on the bench who could provide a boost when he needed it. This remains a positive season for Aston Villa, with the Champions League place coming from the Premier League which is about to be made official, but winning the Conference League for which Emery’s team has been favored since September would have contributed greatly to the growth process that ‘Aston Villa has started.
the match
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Olympiacos passes at the first opportunity: El Kaabi, the hero of the first leg, strikes again, who in the 10th minute collects an assist from Quini free in the area and passes Martínez. Aston Villa took control of the game, but all Emery’s team managed to produce was a 25-metre shot from Bailey which was well saved by Tzolakis. The hosts restart ahead 1-0, continue to let their opponents vent but don’t suffer. Indeed, in the 78th minute they also found the 2-0 again with El Kaabi: goalkeeper Tzolakis threw it beyond the visiting defence, he flew in and beat Martinez but didn’t celebrate as the referee ruled it out for offside. The review of the action at VAR, however, leads to the validation of the goal. And it certifies that Olympiacos, the second Greek team ever in a European final, will play the Conference League against Fiorentina
