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Rabat – Moroccan football player Ayoub El Kaabi delivered a dramatic late winner to secure Greek club Olympiacos’ first-ever senior European club trophy, leading them to a 1-0 victory over Italian club Fiorentina in the UEFA Europa Conference League final.
The Moroccan striker’s decisive goal came in the 116th minute, sealing the win in Athens, the home field of their domestic rival AEK Athens.
The match was characterized by intense but cautious play. It saw Fiorentina initially appear the more threatening team, with an early goal disallowed for offside. Despite this, neither team managed to break the deadlock in regular time.
As the game went into extra time, Olympiacos found their rhythm. A key moment came when former Fiorentina player Stevan Jovetic nearly scored, only to be denied by a strong save. Fiorentina’s Jonathan Ikone also missed a critical opportunity, with his shot easily saved.
El Kaabi, who has been in stellar form throughout the competition, capitalized on his moment and headed in a precise cross to score his 11th goal of the tournament. The goal stood after a tense VAR review.
Shortly after, the stadium, which was full to the brim, erupted in celebration of Greek’s first major European trophy.
Read also: Impressive Ayoub El Kaabi Etches Name in African Football History Books
The Moroccan striker’s performance earned him the Laufenn Player of the Match award. The UEFA technical observer panel praised his performance and critical goal, noting, “he had a very hard job today but he fought throughout and his goal was well deserved.”
The 30-year-old Moroccan player gave remarks at the UEFA press conference in celebration of the win saying, “we all won it together. We thank all of our people: we are all together, one family.”
Meanwhile, Olympiacos midfielder Santiago Hezze lauded El Kaabi’s performance and his key goal, telling the press: “I crossed, but Ayoub [El Kaabi] made 90% of the goal. He fought until the end for that ball.”
The club’s coach Jose Luis Mendilibar echoed these sentiments of celebration as he expressed pride that his team “achieved something our club have never done before.” He added, “we’re going to celebrate it properly and then we’re going to start working on what comes next.”
El Kaabi is also a key player in Morocco’s national football team, with head coach Walid Regragui calling him up to the Atlas Lions for the upcoming World Cup 2026 qualifiers against Zambia and the Republic of Congo.
