By securing Olympiacos’ qualification for the final of the Europa Conference League, Moroccan international Ayoub El Kaabi has achieved an incredible record.
A week after taking a significant step with their 2-4 victory at Aston Villa, Olympiacos comfortably qualified for the Europa Conference League final by winning 2-0 at home on Thursday night in the second leg of the semi-finals. Once again, the Greek hero goes by the name of Ayoub El Kaabi. The Moroccan striker, who scored a hat-trick in England, found the net twice at the Karaiskakis Stadium, bringing his total to five goals across both matches.
El Kaabi Surpasses Drogba and Eto’o
He thus becomes the first player since 2011-2012 to score five goals in the semi-finals of a European campaign since Colombian Radamel Falcao with Porto in the Europa League. Even though at that time, the Europa Conference League had not yet been established. The Lion of the Atlas takes advantage of this to become, at 30 years old, the first African player to score 15 goals in a European season (5 in the Europa League and 10 in the Conference). Even if we exclude his two goals scored in the preliminary rounds of the Europa League, nobody can compete!
Not even Ivorian Didier Drogba, who scored 11 goals with Marseille in 2003-2004 in the Champions League and UEFA Cup (predecessor of the Europa League), did better. Not even his compatriot Sébastien Haller (11 goals in the Champions League in 2021-2022). And certainly not Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah (10 goals each in the Champions League in 2017-2018), Samuel Eto’o (9 goals with Anzhi), and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Gabonese scored 11 goals in a season with Dortmund and stopped at 12 this season with Marseille.
Signed for a season last summer, El Kaabi scored 32 goals and provided 2 assists in 46 appearances. A more than successful campaign, all in all.
