Olympiacos v Aston Villa LIVE: Europa Conference League result and final score as Ayoub El Kaabi strikes twice.
Olympiacos striker Ayoub El Kaabi netted twice as the Greek side cruised into a Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina thanks to a 2-0 home win over Aston Villa that gave them a 6-2 victory on aggregate.
Villa started well but El Kaabi, who got a hat-trick in the first leg, broke the deadlock in the 10th minute as Daniel Podence slid the ball down the line for fullback Quini who picked out the Moroccan at the far post for a simple finish.
The visitors dominated possession in the first half, with winger Leon Bailey coming closest to an equaliser with a blistering shot in first-half stoppage time that Konstantinos Tzolakis parried away for a corner.
The second half offered more of the same but instead it was El Kaabi who netted again to send Olympiacos into a European final for the first time in their 99-year history, with the game taking place on May 29 at the home of Greek rivals AEK Athens.
Follow all the live action below and get the latest Olympiacos vs Aston Villa predictions and tips here.
FULL TIME! Olympiacos 2-0 Aston Villa (6-2)
Aston Villa captain John McGinn: “Tonight I think the game plan was perfect in the first half. We’ve got to be really proud of how we played. The goal was extremely disappointing. The tie was unfortunately lost in the first leg - we didn’t control the game or manage it well enough, the performance was poor.
“For us going into more European competition next season we need to learn how to manage moments a lot better. Of course we wanted to do better this year and get to a European final but we will do everything we can to get ourselves back into this position and get to a final.
“I think it has been a big learning curve for us. It’s not been a smooth journey, we got to the semi-final and were down to the bare bones a wee bit. However those of us that were out there across the two legs lost to the better team and the scoreline shows that.”
FULL TIME! Olympiacos 2-0 Aston Villa (6-2)
Unai Emery, speaking to TNT Sports: “We got to be in Europe at the end of last season and this year we enjoyed it but to win is very difficult and we are in the process.
“They deserve to be in the final. We lost it in the first 90 minutes at home and we were not competitive. We started this first half well, they scored but we controlled the game but we were not clinical.
“This is an experience for us at Aston Villa after a long time and again we are going to compete in Europe next year. Of course we are a little bit disappointed, a little bit frustrated but we have to move on quick. We started the first leg and maybe we were favourites but after the first leg we weren’t.
“We have to try to finish the season and for it to be very amazing [to qualify for the Champions League].”
FULL TIME! Olympiacos 2-0 Aston Villa (6-2)
Aston Villa’s European dream is over after losing to Olympiacos in the semi-final of the Europa Conference League.
Villa were eyeing a first European final since 1982 but, with the ancient Acropolis in the backdrop of the Stadio Georgios Karaiskakis, their hopes are now in ruins after a 6-2 aggregate defeat.
They travelled to Athens needing a Herculean effort to overturn a 4-2 deficit from the first leg, but limped to a 2-0 defeat on the night, with last week’s hat-trick hero Ayoub El Kaabi scoring the goals which sent the Greek side through to their first-ever European final.
It concluded a miserable season on the continent for Premier League sides as there is no English representative in a final for the first time since 2019/20 and Unai Emery will see this as a huge missed opportunity to win a fifth European trophy in a tournament they were favourites for.
