Morocco’s Ayoub El Kaabi was the hero as he scored the goal that gave Olympiacos a 1-0 win against Fiorentina in the UEFA Europa Conference League final on Wednesday night.
El Kaabi scored in the 116th minute of extra-time to give Olympiacos their first-ever European title.
Also, Olympiacos become the first club from Greece to win a European trophy.
For El Kaabi, it was his 11th goal in this season’s Europa Conference League knockout stage.
Also Read: 2026 WCQ: Rangers Boss Ilechukwu Congratulates Igboke On Super Eagles Invitation
This means he is the first player to achieve the feat in a single UEFA club competition knockout stage.
Also, he has surpassed the feats of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Radamel Falcao.
Ronaldo scored 10 goals in the Champions League in 2017, Benzema netted 10 in the Champions League in 2022 while Falcao bagged 10 in the Europa League in 2010.
Also, El Kaabi is the first non-European player to score 14 goals in major European competition in a single season since Lionel Messi netted 14 in the 2011/12 Champions League.
20 Comments
This boy scored in the Morrocco’s 4-1 drubbing of Nigeria in the CHAN final in 2018 ending the tournament as top scorer. 6 years later he is still playing at the highest level of football.
Can someone pls tell us where our own CHAN players of 2018 are now…???
This boy scored in the Morrocco’s 4-1 drubbing of Nigeria in the CHAN final in 2018 ending the tournament as top scorer. 6 years later he is still playing at the highest level of football.
Can someone pls tell us where our own CHAN players of 2018 are now…???
This boy scored in the Morrocco’s 4-0 drubbing of Nigeria in the CHAN final in 2018 ending the tournament as top scorer. 6 years later he is still playing at the highest level of football.
Can someone pls tell us where our own CHAN players of 2018 are now…???
Why are you always fighting chan eagles, don’t you know that NFF like selecting bad home based eagles, that doesn’t mean that we don’t have talent in this country,we have many talents in this country, hope you watch Cletus of under 17, how many foreign based midfielders will play the way he’s playing,so stop blaming chan eagles rather blame corrupt NFF that likes inviting bad home based players
@chimezie that is not the point the point is that here is a player who is making it in Europe via the right channel. Morocco and Senegal Dominate CHAN why because they are not corrupt. they will not Push players to punch above their weight against International Teams that operate at a higher Level to African Based Players. they go the right route through CHAN for their Local players and this is Morocco a country with a stronger and better functioning League than Nigeria’s Currently. I do not know what else to say to make Nigerians understand that NFF Officials and Nigerian Ex internationals pushing players from NPFL straight to Super Eagles is a scam and is for Monetary gain especially as you have clearly pointed out what I have been saying the Academies is our Talent Bed not NPFL as we have proved over the years. Needless o say when NFF forces Nigeria to field only Home-based we always get Embarrassed like Mexico recently did so what if I may ask are these Clamour for Home based players based on?
In my state I can point out 10 players that are better than the so called foreign based players,is not about foreign or local but about talent, useless Lesotho and Zimbabwe we couldn’t beat are not real Madrid players, brother come to enugu and see stars then you will not clamour for all this below average players that are opportune to play abroad,my friend innocent is better talent than your so called average foreign based players,I wish innocent will find a way and play for Rwanda then you will see how he will outplay all over hype foreign based players that can’t even trap nor mark ball ,lazy foreign based players that’s why small small countries are not respecting us
My brother, could you please name the home based players. And I would like to know why they are still playing in a system that is as poor as the NPFL.
Dey lie to yourself.
@chimezie You are not ready to see Nigeria play at WC with this Mentality. Nigerians Especially Igbo’s like me, like to over form?. If we are so Good Why have we never Won WC or why have a player like Osimhen or Boniface not been seen from Nigeria until these days.. You can”t tell me all these star players you are claiming from Enugu cannot find away to Europe or we can’t find some that have the same Potentials as Osimhen?.. Why are we this Arrogant as Nigerian’s? My brother Reality Check, We are Not the best Footballing Nation in Africa again, do you know why because of this mentality of thinking we are the best because we are Nigerian even though it is clear we are lacking woefully on a local stage…
Bro if you cannot beat them Join them it is that simple until we Nigerians are honest with ourselves with Regards to football we will continue to go deeper down the rabbit hole
Iwunze – preach my guy! Honestly, though you are not perfect, (none of us are really) but you are one of the wisest, safest and most informed Igbo guys on this platform hands down! and I must give you your flowers for that nwoke!
@Field Marshal No mind dem bro na so we go day deceive ourself up an dan based on arrogant mentality. It is so destructive and we do not even see that. Na wa oo.
Ugo Why has BELGIUM, NETHERLANDS never WON the WORLD CUP? Even in their GOOD GOLDEN ERA where they posses Good European players like HAZARD, KOMPANY, lukaku, kelvin debruna,(Belgium) VAN PESI, ROBEN, sneijder they toil so hard but couldn’t…. You were making point bro and I was feeling you until you remembered where you kept your weed and dragged a little…
@MONKEY POST the question you should be asking yourself is why has Nigeria not achieved what Netherlands, Belgium and Morocco (whom I used as an example have). Dey Play. Incase you didn’t know Netherlands are still regarded as the best Team Never to win the WC. Oga @MONKEY BRAIN Why do Holland have thet Tag? Let me tell you why because they have played 3 WC Finals. What is Nigeria’s higest ever Place in WC?.. Dey Play banana Head.
Idiot @Ugo as you know how Dem dey win world cup, you for dey glass house with your opinion na. But you are always here with your shallow opinions..mumu winning the wc is all encompassing…from the coach, his tactics etc..no be by local or foreign players joor…
ODE! Winning the wc is the basis of our argument not appearing in 50 finals..so please don’t shift from the basis…
So why are those 10 stars not playing for Enugu Rangers, Iwuanayawu Nationale, Abia Warriors or Enyimba at the moment…..or you want to tell me these clubs cannot recognize these 10 good players and sign them up….?
You claim foriegn-based players are just “opportuned” to play abroad…..LMAOoo. Shebi they just woke up one morning, pack their boots and went to the training ground of the European clubs and started playing there……LMAOoo
Like Alex said up there, be deceiving yourself.
You think its the street football you see them play on the sandy pitches of enugu they play at international level where tactics and technique comes before raw talent…LMAOoo.
NFF selected bad home based players against Mexico that’s why they disgrace them
Hahahaha….Nwabali (Katsina Utd) was a bad homebased player…? Iwuala (Enyimba) too was a bad HB player…? Ibrahim Olawoyin (Enugu Rangers), Olisah Ndah (Akwa Utd), Tope Olusesi (Enugu Rangers), John Noble (Enyibma) and the rest were all bad players……LMAOoo
Iwuala won NPFL MVP, Ndah won Best NPFL Defender, Ibrahim Olawoyin moved to Turkey after that season, Nwabali moved to South Africa too…..yet these were all bad players according to you.
If these were all bad players, why then are you always clamoring for the invitation of Homebased players to the SE….LMAOoo
Ok, let me pretend I agree with you….NFF selected bad players.
Is it also the NFF that selects the 30-man squad that your 4 NPFL clubs register annually to participate in CAF competitions yet struggle to reach group stage? Are these players also the bad ones of the “many talents” flowing on the streets of Enugu…? Are the clubs too so blind that they cannot sight and sign good players like your 10 stars in Enugu to their teams….??
Ok let me also assume those ones too are bad. Our continental representatives are also signing the bad/worst players in the league to play for them on the continent. Why is it that the last player to move straight from NPFL to mainstream Europe and grow from there in Ahmed Musa over 10 years ago and Taiye Taiwo over about 20 years ago…..??? When will the “good” players in the NPFL start getting moves to regular CAF Champions league teams on the continent….? We used to have the likes of Ezeji, Sokari, Junior Ajayi, Ezenwa Otorogu, Ndubuisi Eze, Stanley Ohawuchi, Obinna Nwaneri, Damien Udeh, move straight from the NFPL to African Clubs like 15 – 20 years ago……why are the “good” players in the NPFL not doing so again….?
Mr man…. stop deceiving yourself. Monkey post nor be full field. Street football nor be professional football. Jeun jeun football nor be international football
Even if your 10 stars have escaped the eyes of national team scouts, how have the escaped the eyes of scouts of 20 NFPL, 20 NNL and 40 NLO clubs…..and also escaped the eyes of foreign scouts that take players like Victor Boniface and Gift Orban straight from Nigeria to trial in European clubs and onwards to greater clus….?
Hahahaha….Nwabali (Katsina Utd) was a bad homebased player…? Iwuala (Enyimba) too was a bad HB player…? Ibrahim Olawoyin (Enugu Rangers), Olisah Ndah (Akwa Utd), Tope Olusesi (Enugu Rangers), John Noble (Enyibma) and the rest were all bad players……LMAOoo
Iwuala won NPFL MVP, Ndah won Best NPFL Defender, Ibrahim Olawoyin moved to Turkey after that season, Nwabali moved to South Africa too…..yet these were all bad players according to you.
If these were all bad players, why then are you always clamoring for the invitation of Homebased players to the SE….LMAOoo
Ok, let me pretend I agree with you….NFF selected bad players.
Is it also the NFF that selects the 30-man squad that your 4 NPFL clubs register annually to participate in CAF competitions yet struggle to reach group stage? Are these players also the bad ones of the “many talents” flowing on the streets of Enugu…? Are the clubs too so blind that they cannot sight and sign good players like your 10 stars in Enugu to their teams….??
Ok let me also assume those ones too are bad. Our continental representatives are also signing the bad/worst players in the league to play for them on the continent. Why is it that the last player to move straight from NPFL to mainstream Europe and grow from there in Ahmed Musa over 10 years ago and Taiye Taiwo over about 20 years ago…..??? When will the “good” players in the NPFL start getting moves to regular CAF Champions league teams on the continent….? We used to have the likes of Ezeji, Sokari, Junior Ajayi, Ezenwa Otorogu, Ndubuisi Eze, Stanley Ohawuchi, Obinna Nwaneri, Damien Udeh, move straight from the NFPL to African Clubs like 15 – 20 years ago……why are the “good” players in the NPFL not doing so again….?
Ok, NFF selected bad players to go play Mexico……I just asked about out 2018 CHAN team that lost 0-4 to Morrocco in the final. One of Morrrocco’s players just won the ECL last night 6 years after…he’s still playing at the highest level of football. Where are our own CHAN 2018 players…? How many of them are still playing at the highest level….? How many of them eaned a move to a notbale club after that CHAN….? Or did Salisu Yusuf also take bad players to that CHAN tournament too…?
Mr man…. stop deceiving yourself. Monkey post nor be full field. Street football nor be professional football. Jeun jeun football nor be international football
Even if your 10 stars have escaped the eyes of national team scouts, how have the escaped the eyes of scouts of 20 NFPL, 20 NNL and 40 NLO clubs…..and also escaped the eyes of foreign scouts that take players like Victor Boniface and Gift Orban straight from Nigeria to trial in European clubs and onwards to greater clus….?
Arrogance of a typical Igbo guy to think players playing in Enugu narendra far better than our foreign players. This clearly show you are myopic and you not ready to accept reality. Most of the players you claimed are better than our foreign players only play football because they see it as a source of becoming rich. The best local players in Brazil or Argentina are being sent to Europe to develop their skills, but. In Nigeria your best are in this country and they have never been discovered.
My guy forget that rubbish even players still playing in secondary school are far better than those playing in NPF that are rigid and lack basic football technics
You think talent is everything?
Go ask Taribo West.
He was a ‘star’ at Julius Berger FC before he transferred to Auxerre of France.
In Auxerre he was put on hold for almost the full first season just so his stamina and positional play could get up to par for top flight football.
You think talent mainly got Ronaldo and Messi up there?
No matter your talent, without the cardios, fitness, strategies, diet etc you’ll just be be a walking encyclopedia of football injuries and contract terminations.