Always facing a real Europa Conference League struggle on Thursday night, Aston Villa suffered semi-final heartbreak in Greece as they slumped to a 2-0 loss at the hands of Olympiacos.
Shockingly blown away ay Villa Park last week as they were hit with an action-packed 4-2 defeat, Unai Emery’s men failed to produce what would have been an iconic comeback at the Karaiskakis Stadium.
Ayoub El Kaabi – who scored a stunning first-leg brace at Villa Park last week – opened the scoring after just 10 minutes in Piraeus and sent the home support into overdrive.
With Unai Emery’s men failing to find any kind of fluidity in the final third, the Premier League outfit were eventually officially put to the sword as the red-hot El Kaabi bagged his second of the night late on.
Although Villa might have been desperate to get their hands on a first piece of European silverware since 1982, Thursday’s guests have now lost all of their last three appearances across all competitions.
As for Olympiacos, storming their way to a famous 6-2 aggregate romp over the past week, the Greek giants will now meet Fiorentina in this season’s showpiece event on May 29th.
On a night when Aston Villa watched their Europa Conference League dreams go up in smoke, we have taken a look at the main talking points from the Karaiskakis Stadium.
Olympiacos collect a heavyweight scalp
Although Olympiacos might be seeking a minor miracle in their bid to claim a history-making 48th domestic crown this season, Jose Mendilibar’s men have embarked on a remarkable European romp.
Eventually breezing past the Champions League chasers over the past week and making a major statement of intent thanks to their 6-2 aggregate romp, Thursday’s hosts are now unbeaten in all of their previous nine appearances across all competitions.
Springing another iconic upset last month as they sent Turkish giants Fenerbahce packing, the former Sevilla boss is now just 90 minutes away from guiding…
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Author : Tom Dunstan
Publish date : 2024-05-10 10:09:11
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