On the night of the tragic anniversary of the fall of Constantinople, the Hagia Sophia (AEK Arena) was shaken by the triumph of Olympiacos.
The reds defeated Fiorentina in the final of the UEFA Conference League and became the first Greek team at men's level (preceded by the similar success of the Olympiacos youth team in the UEFA Youth League) to win a European title.
This is the second consecutive European title for Olympiacos’ coach Jose Luis Medilibar, who came to the bench of the Reds only three months ago.
El Kaabi scored the golden goal at 116’, sending the fans to heaven.
The Moroccan player achieved something unique as he became the top scorer of the competition with 11 goals, without having played in the group stage, as Olympiacos was led to this competition via Europa League.
In the minutes left until the final blow of the match, Fiorentina responded with a few chances and had a chance to equalise but the Greek team's defence managed to withstand the pressure, making history.
The end of the match found the Olympiacos players celebrating with tears in their eyes, while a sea of people poured out in Piraeus and other Greek cities with flares and fireworks turning the night into day.
The reports of the foreign press on the success were double-jubilant, with the Italian media pointing to the second consecutive lost final of Fiorentina, which Gazzetta described as "cursed".
Ole from Argentina referred to Santiago Eze, calling the Olympiacos midfielder's assist "hallowed".
"Mendilibar performed another European miracle and won the Conference with Olympiacos," the Spanish Marca reported, noting the fact that the Reds coach led Sevilla to Europa League last season.
The success of the Greek team was also commented on by the political leadership of the country with the President of the Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, posting on platform X to refer to a "Historic night for the team of Piraeus and Greek football".
"A true legend! Olympiacos wins the Conference League and makes history! A sensational night for the club itself, but also for Greek football as a whole. Congratulations!", Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in his own social media post.
Olympiakos' players celebrate after winning the UEFA Europa Conference League final football match between Olympiakos and Fiorentina at the AEK Arena in Athens on May 29, 2024. (Photo by Aris MESSINIS / AFP) (Photo by ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images) Source: AFP / ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images
The 'Benefits'
There’s an array of benefits for Olympiacos and Greek football in general after winning the Conference League.
The 'reds' after this success, ensured their presence in the group stage of the Europa League, while until recently they were entitled to participate in the 2nd qualifying round of the Conference League.
This success brings Greece to 15th place in the UEFA rankings, giving them the opportunity to send five teams to European competitions from the season after next.
In the 2025-26 season, the champion and the runner-up will both have a ticket to the second qualifying round of the Champions League. The Greek Cup winner will go through to the third qualifying round of the Europa League, while the third and fourth place finishers in the Super League will go through to the second qualifying round of the Conference League.
Winning the European trophy added a bonus of 2 million euros in the coffers of the "reds", while their total income from their European career exceeds 16.5 million euros.
But beyond any financial benefit, history was written in gold letters: Olympiacos winner of the Conferences League for the 2023-24 season.
