When the Conference League was created nearly three years ago, it looked like the competition would be the ultimate stage for Europe's fringe football.
But during the first two years of the competition that didn’t look like it would be the case. The first two finals were disappointing, featuring two Italian teams, one English team, and one Dutch team.
And no, there's nothing niche about West Ham and Roma.
This year’s final, however, ended up being the one that most accurately represented why the tournament was created in the first place.
A great atmosphere in Athens. Olympiacos fans created a home advantage. (Photo courtesy: Olympiacos FC)
Unlike any of the other finalists to date, Olympiacos did not start their Conference League journey in the group stage - they entered the tournament after finishing third in their Europa League group and, from there, embarked on a remarkable run.
But to understand this journey, we need to go back three months, to February 2024.
At that moment, Olympiacos were sitting in fourth place in the league, and appointed Jose Luis Mendilibar as manager - their third this season.
Mendilibar, who won the Europa League with Sevilla a year ago, was sacked from the club in early October.
At first, he seemed to have a stabilising effect on Olympiacos, but that didn’t last long.
The team’s rollercoaster period started with the Conference League round of 16, when Olympiacos were thrashed 4-1 by Maccabi Tel Aviv at the Karaiskakis Stadium.
A few days later, they suffered another defeat, this time a 3-1 defeat to Panathinaikos in the league.
But in their next match, the second leg against Maccabi Tel Aviv, everything turned around.
Olympiacos completed a stunning comeback, winning 6-1 after extra time, and from there began a period of 14 games where they were only beaten once
This run helped them to a third place finish in the league, but it was not even a hint of what was to come in the Europa Conference League final itself.
The final provided them the best stage they could ever imagine. Although the team is from Piraeus, the trip to Athens, to AEK Arena, is relatively short, and doesn't require a flight.
Olympiacos’ opponents were another team from this formerly dominant world - Fiorentina, last season’s runners-up, wanted to lift the trophy this time.
While it was a second consecutive final for the Italian side, this was Olympiacos’ debut final.
Not only that, but it was only the second time that a Greek side had reached a European final - before Wednesday night, the only one to do so was Panathinaikos, who lost to Ajax in the 1971 European Champions Cup final.
For Olympiacos, it wasn't only their chance to write an important chapter in their history, or Mendilibar's chance for redemption - in the squad, there was one player that could take his journey to perfection.
Ayoub El Kaabi phenomena
Ayoub El Kaabi had hardly played in Europe before - bar one season in Turkey with Hatayspor, he has spent most of his career so far in Morocco, China, and Qatar.
For El Kaabi, this season was his debut season in a European competition, and he has scored 16 goals in Europe this year, reaching those numbers that only Cristiano Ronaldo and Radamel Falcao have reached before.
Even though Olympiacos started their Europa Conference League road in the knockout stage, El Kaabi was crowned the tournament's top scorer with 11 goals.
He scored a brace in the 6-1 win against Maccabi Tel Aviv and had a top performance with a hat-trick against Aston Villa in Birmingham. There was no doubt that he could be the Greeks' hero tonight.
The game was goalless through normal time. But in the 116th minute - after midnight local time - came El Kaabi’s moment.
Once again, he was in the right spot, and scored the sole goal in this year’s final. The goal that would grant Olympiacos their first-ever European title.
This year, Greece marks 20 years since their sensational victory at Euro 2024.
In the opening match, they were given their nickname Piratiko, the pirate ship.
It was a reference to a quote from Georgios Halakis, who narrated the game on the radio: "Since Portugal arrived with their ship (in the opening match), it was our time to be pirates and take the win!".
Greece won't play in the Euros this summer, but Greek football can celebrate this moment.
Olympiacos has done it in the Conference League as a team that deserved to win this title, and not as pirates.
A Conference League final, as it was meant to be.
A Conference League final as it meant to be. Olympiacos’ players celebrate (Photo courtesy: Olympiacos official website)
