Olympiakos beat Fiorentina 1-0 after extra time in the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday when a late winner from Ayoub El Kaabi gave the Greek club their first major European trophy. In a match that was high on intensity and physicality but low on quality in front of goal, neither side could find the net in the regulation 90 minutes before El Kaabi netted the winner in the 116th minute.

With the game seemingly headed to a penalty shootout, El Kaabi got in front of his marker to head home Santiago Hezze's cross but the players and fans had a long, nervous wait for VAR to check for offside before the goal was awarded.

It was the Morocco striker's 11th goal in the Conference League this season, all of them in the knockout stages, and 16th in Europe after he also scored in the Europa League qualifiers and group stage. He had scored five times across two legs when they beat Premier League side Aston Villa in the semi-finals.

The trophy presentation was also a moment to treasure for Olympiakos manager Jose Luis Mendilibar, who won the Europa League with Sevilla last season and took over the Greek club only in February. "I am very happy that we achieved something that the club had not achieved before. We will celebrate, we will cheer and then we will get back to work for what comes next," Mendilibar said.

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The Greek fans in the AEK Arena erupted when the ball went in and the volume went up once again when VAR confirmed the goal which ensures Olympiakos play in the Europa League next season. Outside the stadium, thousands of Olympiakos fans gathered at the port of Piraeus and celebrated wildly after the final whistle, lighting red flares and fireworks.

Olympiakos became the first Greek club to lift a European trophy, with Panathinaikos coming closest in 1971 when they lost the European Cup final to Ajax Amsterdam.

The result marked a second consecutive defeat in the Europa Conference League final for Fiorentina, who had reached this season's summit clash without losing a single game. Vincenzo Italiano's side also lost the Coppa Italia final last season, marking three heartbreaking cup final defeats in two years as the wait for a first trophy since 2001 continues.

"Amazing, for Olympiakos and me. Really proud of my guys," 34-year-old forward Stevan Jovetic, who spent five years at Fiorentina, told TNT Sports. "We did great all year and deserved it. I have to compliment Fiorentina. (Losing) two years in a row, a shame for them."

Olympiakos beat Fiorentina 1-0 after extra time in the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday when a late winner from Ayoub El Kaabi gave the Greek club their first major European trophy.

Olympiakos beat Fiorentina 1-0 after extra time in the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday when a late winner from Ayoub El Kaabi gave the Greek club their first major European trophy. In a match that was high on intensity and physicality but low on quality in front of goal, neither side could find the net in the regulation 90 minutes before El Kaabi netted the winner in the 116th minute. With the game seemingly headed to a penalty shootout, El Kaabi got in front of his marker to head home Santiago Hezze's cross but the players and fans had a long, nervous wait for VAR to check for offside before the goal was awarded. It was the Morocco striker's 11th goal in the Conference League this season, all of them in the knockout stages, and 16th in Europe after he also scored in the Europa League qualifiers and group stage. He had scored five times across two legs when they beat Premier League side Aston Villa in the semi-finals. The trophy presentation was also a moment to treasure for Olympiakos manager Jose Luis Mendilibar, who won the Europa League with Sevilla last season and took over the Greek club only in February. "I am very happy that we achieved something that the club had not achieved before. We will celebrate, we will cheer and then we will get back to work for what comes next," Mendilibar said. Also read: Bundesliga: Vincent Kompany replaces Thomas Tuchel as Bayern Munich manager The Greek fans in the AEK Arena erupted when the ball went in and the volume went up once again when VAR confirmed the goal which ensures Olympiakos play in the Europa League next season. Outside the stadium, thousands of Olympiakos fans gathered at the port of Piraeus and celebrated wildly after the final whistle, lighting red flares and fireworks. Olympiakos became the first Greek club to lift a European trophy, with Panathinaikos coming closest in 1971 when they lost the European Cup final to Ajax Amsterdam. The result marked a second consecutive defeat in the Europa Conference League final for Fiorentina, who had reached this season's summit clash without losing a single game. Vincenzo Italiano's side also lost the Coppa Italia final last season, marking three heartbreaking cup final defeats in two years as the wait for a first trophy since 2001 continues. "Amazing, for Olympiakos and me. Really proud of my guys," 34-year-old forward Stevan Jovetic, who spent five years at Fiorentina, told TNT Sports. "We did great all year and deserved it. I have to compliment Fiorentina. (Losing) two years in a row, a shame for them."

Olympiakos beat Fiorentina in extra time in Europa Conference League final

Eric Dier became the first Tottenham Hotspur player to discover <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/football-tottenham-hotspur-name-mourinho-as-manager-263339">Jose Mourinho</a>'s ruthless streak as the Portuguese manager's decision to haul off the midfielder after half an hour ultimately proved a masterstroke on Tuesday.

Mourinho's first home game in charge after replacing Mauricio Pochettino was turning ugly as Greek side Olympiakos Piraeus led 2-0 inside 20 minutes of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/champions-league-mbappe-stars-as-psg-snatch-draw-against-real-madrid-264752">Champions League</a> Group B game.

But twice Champions League winner Mourinho acted decisively, sacrificing Dier's defensive shield, and sent on Danish playmaker Christian Eriksen who, just as on Saturday in Mourinho's debut <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/jose-mourinho-makes-instant-impact-as-tottenham-defeat-west-ham-264133">win over West Ham</a> United, had been left on the bench.

It took a while for the tactical switch to work but Dele Alli levelled on the stroke of halftime and the second half saw Tottenham run riot with <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/football-mourinho-aiming-to-take-spurs-and-kane-to-the-next-level-263998">Harry Kane</a> scoring twice either side of a thumping effort by Serge Aurier.

Tottenham, runners-up in June under Pochettino, have qualified for the last 16 and in Mourinho's first two games in charge they have scored seven and conceded four, perhaps confounding those who said he would bring boring football to north London.

While the Dier/Eriksen swap worked a treat, Mourinho said it had been the hardest part of his evening.

"The most difficult moment for me was not the goals but the change I had to make," the 56-year-old, whose tactical acumen has earned him silverware at every club he has managed, told reporters. "It hurt the player but also hurt me. It was not easy for the player or me.

"But it's important the player understood and I was fortunate that it was a very intelligent boy who understood it was about the team not the performance. I apologised to Eric and made it clear I didn't do it to hurt him.

"Christian gave us what we needed at that time."

Mourinho, sacked by Manchester United last season after his reign there turned sour, has been charm personified since swapping punditry for the Tottenham job.

As well as praising his players' response to adversity on Tuesday, and the fans, he also waxed lyrical about a ball boy, whose sharp thinking allowed Serge Aurier to take a quick throw-in that ultimately led to Harry Kane's 50th-minute equaliser.

"To do that you have to be a very good ball boy," Mourinho said with a straight face. "I was, between 10 and 16 years old a very good ball boy and he was a very good ball boy.

"He was reading the game and wasn't looking at the stands. I wanted to invite him to the dressing room to celebrate with the players but he had disappeared."

Tottenham's performance rather summed up their season. They were caught cold and were lucky that a defensive howler allowed Alli to reduce the arrears before the interval.

In the second half, with Eriksen providing the ammunition for Kane, Son Heung-min and Lucas Moura, Tottenham were ruthless.

With a home game against Bournemouth this weekend, Mourinho has every chance of starting with three straight wins.

"Next game at home I expect the boys to start without ghosts, open and confident" he said.

Eric Dier became the first Tottenham Hotspur player to discover Jose Mourinho's ruthless streak as the Portuguese manager's decision to haul off the midfielder after half an hour ultimately proved a masterstroke on Tuesday.

Eric Dier became the first Tottenham Hotspur player to discover Jose Mourinho's ruthless streak as the Portuguese manager's decision to haul off the midfielder after half an hour ultimately proved a masterstroke on Tuesday. Mourinho's first home game in charge after replacing Mauricio Pochettino was turning ugly as Greek side Olympiakos Piraeus led 2-0 inside 20 minutes of the Champions League Group B game. But twice Champions League winner Mourinho acted decisively, sacrificing Dier's defensive shield, and sent on Danish playmaker Christian Eriksen who, just as on Saturday in Mourinho's debut win over West Ham United, had been left on the bench. It took a while for the tactical switch to work but Dele Alli levelled on the stroke of halftime and the second half saw Tottenham run riot with Harry Kane scoring twice either side of a thumping effort by Serge Aurier. Tottenham, runners-up in June under Pochettino, have qualified for the last 16 and in Mourinho's first two games in charge they have scored seven and conceded four, perhaps confounding those who said he would bring boring football to north London. While the Dier/Eriksen swap worked a treat, Mourinho said it had been the hardest part of his evening. "The most difficult moment for me was not the goals but the change I had to make," the 56-year-old, whose tactical acumen has earned him silverware at every club he has managed, told reporters. "It hurt the player but also hurt me. It was not easy for the player or me. "But it's important the player understood and I was fortunate that it was a very intelligent boy who understood it was about the team not the performance. I apologised to Eric and made it clear I didn't do it to hurt him. "Christian gave us what we needed at that time." Mourinho, sacked by Manchester United last season after his reign there turned sour, has been charm personified since swapping punditry for the Tottenham job. As well as praising his players' response to adversity on Tuesday, and the fans, he also waxed lyrical about a ball boy, whose sharp thinking allowed Serge Aurier to take a quick throw-in that ultimately led to Harry Kane's 50th-minute equaliser. "To do that you have to be a very good ball boy," Mourinho said with a straight face. "I was, between 10 and 16 years old a very good ball boy and he was a very good ball boy. "He was reading the game and wasn't looking at the stands. I wanted to invite him to the dressing room to celebrate with the players but he had disappeared." Tottenham's performance rather summed up their season. They were caught cold and were lucky that a defensive howler allowed Alli to reduce the arrears before the interval. In the second half, with Eriksen providing the ammunition for Kane, Son Heung-min and Lucas Moura, Tottenham were ruthless. With a home game against Bournemouth this weekend, Mourinho has every chance of starting with three straight wins. "Next game at home I expect the boys to start without ghosts, open and confident" he said.

Champions League: Mourinho masterstroke as Tottenham destroy Olympiakos

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