Olympiakos surprisingly won the opening semi-final of the Conference League 4-2 at Aston Villa, taking a significant step towards reaching the final on home soil. The Moroccan striker Ayoub El Kaabi played a key role in the triumph of the team from Piraeus, who beat the home goalkeeper twice in the opening act. The Villans were able to respond to his goals with goals from Ollie Watkins and Moussa Diaby, but the Moroccan again had the main say, who converted a penalty and a hat-trick to decide the visitors’ triumph.
Of the five English representatives in the quarter-finals of the European Cups, only Aston Villa carried the banner of the cradle of football to the next stage, which eliminated Lille on penalties. The team from Birmingham generally expected a very demanding end of the season when, in addition to the Conference League, they had to fight hard for fourth place in the league competition. Olympiakos also needed a shootout from the penalty spot to advance, after which they called on the skill of goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis, who saved three penalty kicks.
And the Greek goalkeeper also drew attention to himself at the beginning of the match in Birmingham, when he eliminated a sharp attempt by Morgan Rogers with a great save. The guests were the first to assert themselves. The Villans defense faltered, which was exploited by El Kaabi, who beat Robin Olsen with an accurate shot. The Moroccan gunner continued to rampage. In the 29th minute, he outwitted the home side’s offside trap, deftly bypassed Olsen and added his second accurate strike in a masterful manner. The team from Piraeus continued to threaten from fast breaks and Konstantinos Fortounis was not far from the third goal, whose shot narrowly missed the goal. At the end of the first half, the individual quality of the home team showed itself. After a quick combination, Watkins got to the finish line in a good position and lowered it with a precise shot to the back post.
Buoyed by the goal, the Villans entered the second half actively and were rewarded with an equaliser. That’s what they got in the 52nd minute, when the fast-footed Diaby got to the ball, and from a sharp angle he shot through Tzolakis. But the joy of the home team did not last long. After an illegal handball, a penalty was kicked, which was turned into a hat-trick by El Kaabi, playing the game of life, and thus restored the lead to the Greeks. In the 67th minute, the guests already led by two goals. Santiago Hezze tried his luck with a shot from distance, which Ezri Konsa deflected into the counter movement of goalkeeper Olsen. Villans could have reduced it in the 84th minute, but Douglas Luiz should not have missed the goal from the penalty kick.
Thus, the first historical meeting between these rivals ended with a victory for Olympiakos. The rematch is scheduled for May 9.
Tags: Report match Aston Villa Olympiakos Piraeus statistics report
