Olympiacos win the 2023/24 UEFA Europa Conference League: Meet the champions
miércoles, 29 de mayo de 2024
Resumen del artículo
All you need to know about 2023/24 UEFA Europa Conference League winners Olympiacos.
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Cuerpo del artículo
Following nine months of fascinating action, the 2023/24 UEFA Europa Conference League reached its conclusion in the Athens showpiece with Olympiacos beating Fiorentina 1-0 in extra time courtesy of an Ayoub El Kaabi goal.
Here's all you need to know about the champions.
Olympiacos (GRE)
UEFA coefficient ranking: 44
How they qualified: 3rd in Greek Super League
Group stage: Transferred from Europa League
Knockout round play-off: 2-0agg vs Ferencváros
Round of 16: 7-5agg aet vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv
Quarter-finals: 3-3agg aet, 3-2pens vs Fenerbahçe
Semi-finals: 6-2agg vs Aston Villa
Final: 1-0aet vs Fiorentina
Campaign in ten words: First ever European title powered by Ayoub El Kaabi's goals.
Most minutes played
900 Santiago Hezze
900 David Carmo
885 Rodinei
Most goals
11 Ayoub El Kaabi
2 Kostas Fortounis
2 Stevan Jovetić
Most assists
4 Daniel Podence
Season summary
A stormy first part of the season gave way to glorious sunshine. Normally, failure to win the Greek title would be cause for Olympiacos disappointment, but that has been eclipsed by their European achievement.
How they play
José Luis Mendilibar favours a 4-3-3, with El Kaabi spearheading the attack, flanked by Kostas Fortounis and Daniel Podence. In Vicente Iborra, Chiquinho and Santiago Hezze, Olympiacos possess a robust midfield that apply pressure high up the pitch.
Key player: Vicente Iborra
While the prolific El Kaabi makes the magic happen in attack, four-time UEFA Europa League-winner Iborra provided much-needed guile at both ends during the business end of the competition.
One to watch: Santiago Hezze
An indefatigable dynamo, 22, whose incessant running and all-round midfield play has quickly made him a vital cog in this team.
The coach: José Luis Mendilibar
A Basque coach brought in in February to do just what he did at Sevilla last season: salvage the season and make waves in Europe. The simplicity, the straight-forward approach and attack-minded tactics have been a perfect fit.
Did you know?
It took Olympiacos 99 years to claim their first major European football trophy, April's UEFA Youth League; five weeks later, they added another.