Olympiakos beat Fiorentina 1-0 after extra-time in the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday to win the club's first major European trophy at the home of their domestic rivals AEK Athens.
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 Ayoub 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 bundle in 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.
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.
"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," Olympiakos head coach Jose Luis Mendilibar said.
HISTORY MADE
Olympiacos created history in Europa Conference League final as Ayoub El Kaabi breaks Cristiano Ronaldo’s UEFA record
There were wild scenes of celebration in Athens.
Olympiacos won the Europa Conference League thanks to an extra-time winner from Ayoub El Kaabi against Fiorentina in Athens.
Jose Luis Mendilibar's men downed Fiorentina with a 116th-minute winner after El Kaabi's header managed to upset the odds on Wednesday night.
It saw Olympiacos, who beat Aston Villa en route to the final, become the first Greek side to ever win a European trophy - a year before their 100th anniversary.
And El Kaabi's strike was his 11th in the Europa Conference League, becoming the first player to score 11 goals in a single UEFA club competition knockout stage.
That saw him break Cristiano Ronaldo's record in 2017 when he fired in ten times for Real Madrid.
The 30-year-old also became the first non-European player to score 14 goals in a major European competition in a single season since Lionel Messi in 2011/12 (also 14).
It is a remarkable achievement from Olympiacos, who were largely the underdogs on their way to the final, facing Fenerbahce, Villa and now Fiorentina.
Player ratings
Olympiakos: Tzolakis (7), Rodinei (7), Retsos (6), Carmo (8), Ortega (6), Hezze (7), Iborra (7), Daniel Podence (7), Chiquinho (6), Fortounis (5), El Kaabi (7).
Subs: Andre Horta (7), El Arabi (n/a), Quini (6), Masouras (n/a), Jovetic (6).
Fiorentina: Terracciano (6), Dodo (7), Milenkovic (7), Martinez (6), Biraghi (6), Arthur (5), Mandragora (6), Gonzalez (5), Bonaventura (5), Kouame (6), Belotti (5).
Subs: Beltran (6), Ikone (5), Ranieri (n/a), Nzola (6), Duncan (6), Barak (6).
Man of the match: David Carmo.
As for Mendilibar, it is his second European trophy in two years after winning the Europa League with Sevilla last season.
However, lifting the Europa Conference League trophy with Olympiacos might be regarded as an even more impressive achievement after making history.
The 63-year-old was only hired in February, becoming their third manager of the season.
And he is now the fifth coach to reach back-to-back European finals with different teams after Sven-Goran Eriksson (Gothenburg, Benfica), Hector Cuper (Mallorca, Valencia), Rafael Benitez (Valencia, Liverpool) and Thomas Tuchel (PSG, Chelsea).
The Italian side, meanwhile, tasted heartbreak again after losing consecutive finals in the competition, having been defeated by West Ham last season.
But Fiorentina only have themselves to blame after failing to make the most of their domination.
Ivorian forward Christian Kouame had a couple of chances in the first-half, but Greek goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis denied him the opening goal.
Fiorentina arguably edged the opening 45 minutes, but could not get the goal to nudge them ahead.
Kouame had a glorious opportunity after the break, but mishit his effort, though the resulting shot nearly caught the goalkeeper out.
Opta stats
Olympiakos have won their first ever major European trophy, also becoming the first ever Greek side to be victorious in such competition.
Having also lost last season's UEFA Conference League final to West Ham, Fiorentina have become the first side to lose consecutive major European finals since Benfica in 2012-13 and 2013-14, with both finals coming in the UEFA Europa League.
Olympiakos' Ayoub El Kaabi is the leading goalscorer across major European competition this season with 14 goals, only five players have ever scored more in a single season, while he's the first non-European player to net 14+ goals since Lionel Messi in 2011-12 (14).
Fiorentina have now lost five of their six finals in major European competition; only Juventus (10) have lost more among Italian teams.
Olympiakos have become the first side to win a major European competition in their home country since Feyenoord beat Dortmund 3-2 in the UEFA Cup final in Rotterdam in 2002.
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