Approximately two thousand Olympiacos fans welcomed the team back to Greece at the Athens "Eleftherios Venizelos" International Airport after they qualified for the Conference League semi-finals.
Shortly after the celebrations in Piraeus and Pasalimani, fans eagerly waited for manager José Luis Mendilibar and his players to emerge from the airport exit gate.
As soon as the first members of the "Red and White" appeared, fans lit smoke bombs and sang, "Legend, I love you!" and "Bring us the European Cup!” followed by separate songs for each player passing them.
Konstantinos Tzolakis received special attention after saving three penalties during the shootout following the conclusion of extra time. In fact, he even held a smoke bomb brought by a fan.
For his part, El Arabi danced with the crowd, who chanted his name, while Medilibar also smiled.
Qualifying for the Semifinals
Despite the need to defend their 3-2 victory at "Georgios Karaiskakis," Olympiacos was not intimidated by Fenerbahçe and played aggressively in Turkey. Jose Luis Mendilibar opted for a starting lineup that included Daniel Podense, Stefan Jovetic, and Youssef El-Arabi.
Despite conceding an early goal, Olympiacos played well, pressing high and creating chances. They equalised in the 90th minute through a penalty by El-Arabi, forcing extra time.
Olympiacos continued to press in extra time, but Fenerbahçe had the better chances. However, Tzolakis made several crucial saves to keep Olympiacos in the game.
Penalty Shootout
The match went to a penalty shootout, where Tzolakis saved three penalties to give Olympiacos the victory.
Key Players
This is a historic achievement for Olympiacos and Greek football. The team showed great character and determination in overcoming Fenerbahçe and reaching the semifinals of a European competition.
They will now face Aston Villa with the aim of reaching the final and possibly winning their first European trophy in over 20 years.
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