A “historic” result for Olympiacos, who eliminated Fenerbahçe in Turkey in a penalty shootout with Tzolakis as the hero, advancing to the semifinals of the Europa Conference League.
This is a great achievement for the Greek team, which defeated Fred’s team and will now face Aston Villa. This is the first time a Greek team has reached this stage in the 21st century and the first time since 1996!
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 equalized in the 90th minute through a penalty by El-Arabi, forcing extra time.
In extra time, Olympiacos continued to press, but it was Fenerbahçe who 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
- Andreas Tzolakis: The Greek goalkeeper was the hero of the match, making several key saves, including three in the penalty shootout.
- Mohamed El-Arabi: The Moroccan forward scored the equalizer in the 90th minute and converted his penalty in the shootout.
- Bruma: The Portuguese winger was a constant threat to the Fenerbahçe defence, creating several chances.
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.
On the contrary, PAOK failed to meet the expectations of its fans at Toumba, suffering a 2-0 defeat against a clearly superior Club Bruges.
The team from Thessaloniki found themselves outplayed by their visitors, much like in the first leg, which the Belgians won 1-0.
Bruges took the lead with Ferran Jutlga’s goal in the 33rd minute, and the Spaniard added a second just before half-time, effectively putting the tie out of reach for PAOK.
