Olympiacos shattered Aston Villa’s dreams of reaching a first European final since 1982, as Ayoub El Kaabi’s brace secured a 2-0 win in the second leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League semi-final, meaning the Greek side won the tie 6-2 on aggregate.
Things could not have got off to a worse start for the visitors, who found themselves 1-0 down within 10 minutes as El Kaabi, who bagged a hat-trick in the first leg, converted from Quini’s clever cross.
That goal came against the run of play, as the Villans had been dominating possession, something they continued to do for the rest of the half but with little reward; enjoying 75% of the ball but seeing their best chance, a Leon Bailey piledriver, pushed around the post.
It was more of the same after the break, as Unai Emery was forced into a change before the hour mark, bringing Jhon Duran on in an attempt to prize open the resolute Olympiacos defence.
As they pushed forward, space was left open at the back, and El Kaabi duly exploited it when he netted his fifth goal of the tie with ten minutes remaining, extinguishing any faint hopes of a comeback.
TALKING POINT – Villa’s season running out of steam?
Make no bones about it, getting to the semi-final of a European competition is a huge achievement for Aston VIlla, but they will be left with a feeling of what might have been.
The visitors, who looked leggy, conceded at the worst possible time, 10 minutes into the game, and although there was still plenty of huff and puff from there on in, they simply could not find a way back into the tie.
They have now lost three matches in a row, with both legs against Olympiacos sandwiching a Premier League defeat to Brighton, and Unai Emery will be desperate to finish the campaign on a high, as a UEFA Champions League place is still not quite wrapped up.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Ayoub El Kaabi (Olympiacos). Seriously, who else could it be? A hat-trick in the first leg, a brace in the second, this tie has been all about one man.
El Kaabi was a problem for Villa’s defenders all night, stretching them with his pace and proving a real threat on the counter attack.
His finishing was everything that the visiting forwards were not, too – clinical. The second strike in particular was emphatic as he put the tie to bed to the delight of the home supporters.
PLAYER RATINGS
OLYMPIACOS: Tzolakis 7; Rodinei 6, Retsos 7, Carmo 7, Quini 7; Hezze 6, Iborra 6, Chiquinho 7; Podence 7, El Kaabi 8, Fortounis 7. Subs: Masouras 6, Apostolopoulos 6
ASTON VILLA: Martinez 6; Cash 7, Carlos 6, Konsa 6, Torres 6, Digne 6; Diaby 6, McGinn 6, Luiz 6, Bailey 6; Watkins 6. Subs: Duran 6, Iroegbunam 6, Munroe n/a, Kellyman n/a, Hayden n/a
KEY MOMENTS
10’ GOAL! OLYMPIACOS 1-0 ASTON VILLA (Ayoub El Kaabi). That is glorious football from Olympiacos. Daniel Podence is so clever on the edge of the area as he slides a pass down the line to Quini, who had gone on the overlap. He in turn cuts back to El Kaabi at the back post, who simply has to hit the target – which he does
45+4’ SUPERB SAVE FROM TZOLAKIS. Bailey takes aim with a thunderbolt from 20 yards that is brilliantly pushed around the post, despite a little deflection off the defender
81’ GOAL! OLYMPIACOS 2-0 ASTON VILLA (Ayoub El Kaabi). El Kaabi bursts onto a ball over the top by the goalkeeper and slams past Martinez. It’s originally flagged offside, but VAR review it and he has timed his run perfectly. Goal given, tie over.
90+3’ MAGNIFICENT SAVE. An amazing looped header from way outside the box by Watkins, and he forces an excellent finger-tip stop by the goalkeeper, who pushes the ball over the bar
KEY STATS
- Olympiacos become just the second Greek club to reach a European final, following in the footsteps of Panathinaikos, who made it to the 1971 European Cup final before losing 2-0 to Ajax
- Aston Villa have lost three matches in a row for the first time since February 2023