Swissquote match analysis: Olympiacos 1-0 Fiorentina
Monday, June 3, 2024
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UEFA's Technical Observer panel analyse the landmark Olympiacos victory in Athens.
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Ayoub El Kaabi's dramatic late goal for Olympiacos made history in Athens by sealing a first major European title for a Greek club and inflicting the agony of a final defeat on Vincenzo Italiano's Fiorentina for a second year running.
In this article, brought to you by Swissquote, UEFA's Technical Observer Panel together with UEFA's analysis unit examine how José Luis Mendilibar's side prevailed in a frenetic tussle marked by a battle for supremacy from crosses, attacking pragmatism and defiant defensive structures.
The decisive 116th-minute goal at the AEK Arena – just 15 kilometres from Olympicaos's home stadium in Piraeus – came from a predictable source. El Kaabi converted from a cross to claim his 11th goal in the knockout stages and seal a new all-time UEFA record, one goal ahead of Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo and Radamel Falcao on ten.
Of the 19 goals scored by Thrylos this season since transferring from the Europa League, El Kaabi's match-winning strike was the eighth to come from a cross.
Dealing with crosses
With Fiorentina also enjoying success from wide areas during the knockout games, the UEFA Technical Observer Panel identified it as a key battleground in the final.
The first video highlights the absorbing 1v1 contest between El Kaabi and his marker, Fiorentina's Nikola Milenković. Clip one shows Milenković dispossessing the striker in the box. In clip two we see El Kaabi make a blindside run before darting to the near post, creating a passing line towards Daniel Podence cutting in centrally. The third example shows Milenković reading the game impeccably to hold his position between the posts and meet the cross despite the clever zigzag movement by El Kaabi.
Clip four highlights how titles can be decided by the tiniest of margins. "It was the rare moment when El Kaabi was not marked by Milenković in the box," explained the UEFA Technical Observer Haakon Lunov. After Milenković beats the striker to clear the initial cross, Olympiacos regain possession quickly as Fiorentina's defenders push up. El Kaabi escapes opposition's grip and nods Olympiacos towards a historic title. The fact that El Kaabi turned home Santiago Hezze's cross with his head also proved typical of a match featuring many long balls to bypass the opposition's high press and exploit aerial prowess to help build attacks.
"You cannot ignore the skill of heading," said Lunov. "It’s part of the game." These sentiments extended beyond the match-winning goal. "It's not just the technique," he added. "The tactics are vital: how to use aerial ability when competing for second balls… we must appreciate the skill involved in that strategy."
How Olympiacos kept the crucial clean sheet
Clips one and two in the second video illustrate the strength of two players in particular in helping Olympiacos shut out Fiorentina. In clip one we see an example of midfielder Vicente Iborra's game sense, reading the play to position himself to head clear from the dangerous cross. In clip two centre-back David Carmo shows a dominance that earned him a place in the team of the tournament by winning the header from a long ball. Fiorentina pick up the second ball and continue the attack, forcing Olympiacos to display a variety of great defensive traits: good communication in the wide 2v2 to prevent the cross, fast pressure on the ball and energetic tracking of forward runners.
Clip three highlights Olympiacos retreating to an effective low block after a long diagonal pass to Fiorentina's left winger, Christian Kouamé. Note how Iborra, the four-time UEFA Europa League winner, shows defensive game nous again by making physical contact with M'Bala Nzola in the box as his team-mates work to stop the cross.
The importance of the emergency defending illustrated in clip four – in the final minute of extra time – was not lost on Italiano, who described it as an "incredible" chance for Jonathan Ikoné to tie the match. "We [also] had three or four chances to gain an advantage earlier," said the Fiorentina coach.
Fiorentina's glimpses of controlled possession
Despite Olympiacos's high press forcing the Viola to pursue more direct attacks as the game progressed, the Italian side recorded a higher xG than Olympiacos (1.13 versus 0.65).
The third video highlights moments of promise in Athens for a team whose fluid attacking play on the way to the final had drawn high praise.
In clip one, we see the Italian side's system – flitting between 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 – as they build an attack. After winning the second ball on the left, the attack-minded right full-back Dodô seizes the moment to advance, creating an overload that leads to a big chance for Giacomo Bonaventura. Clip two offers a glimpse of Fiorentina's ability to play between the lines against a compact mid-block. We see Nicolás González receiving possession and vacating the half-space for Bonaventura to fill and help switch the point of attack to seek an overload out wide. Both these first-half attacks indicated the Viola's potency from Kouamé and González in wide areas. "But Olympiacos's defenders deserve full credit for reading these runs and passes and constantly intercepting," said the UEFA Technical Observer Marians Pahars.
The final clip covers the long spell of controlled possession in the 109th-minute as Fiorentina threatened to take the lead. With substitutes Ikoné and Antonín Barák offering fresh energy and Lucas Beltrán recently introduced on the left, Dodô advances higher and the Viola begin moving the ball quicker in the final third. Ikoné's shot from the eventual cross is palmed away by Kostas Tzolakis, however, and just seven minutes later, El Kaabi strikes at the other end to clinch the Europa Conference League title for the inspirational Mendilibar's history-making team.