Olympiacos and PAOK have made history with unbelievable comebacks to make the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL).
In an unprecedented outcome which has stunned the football world the “red-whites” incredibly overturned a 4-1 deficit against Maccabi Tel Aviv to win 1-6 in Israel.
It was an unforgettable European night for both Olympiacos and PAOK with each side coming from behind in their Round of 16 ties through dominant victories on Friday morning (AEDT) in the second leg.
The Piraeus giants advanced past Maccabi Tel Aviv after a 1-6 away success following extra time (winning 7-5 on aggregate) in what is arguably one of the club’s greatest ever achievements in European football.
The “red-whites” opened the scoring in the 10th minute through winger Daniel Podence’s effort, which went into the bottom left corner off the post, before a rapid counter-attack saw Kostas Fortounis finish off a one-on-one chance to grab their second of the night (36′).
Podence, who assisted Fortounis, then delivered a perfect cross for striker Ayoub El Kaabi, who headed the ball in (45+3′) to remarkably bring the tie level on aggregate inside the first half.
The Israeli side restored their lead in the tie through striker and captain Eran Zahavi’s penalty into the bottom left (57′).
El Kaabi then equalised the tie again in spectacular fashion, scoring a phenomenal bicycle kick from left back Franciso Ortega’s cross (65′)
The match went into extra time and the Piraeus giants managed to go ahead in the tie for the first time just three minutes into it, with striker Stevan Jovetic slotting the ball into the net from a tight angle following a free kick delivery by Fortounis (93′).
Olympiacos then put the game to bed with a 103rd minute goal from striker Youssef El Arabi, completing an historic comeback to qualify for the ECL quarter-finals.
PAOK smashed Dinamo Zagreb 5-1 at “Toumba” Stadium on Friday morning (AEDT) to overturn the two-goal deficit from the previous leg, winning the tie 5-3 on aggregate.
The Thessaloniki giants opened the scoring in the 27th minute with a close-range header from Baba Rahman from a corner set piece.
The hosts then brought the tie back on level terms soon after when centre half Konstantinos Koulierakis’ long shot took a massive deflection from midfielder Petar Sucic as it settled into the bottom left (33′).
PAOK closed the first half ahead in the tie after striker Brandon Thomas headed in playmaker Taison’s cross into the bottom left (42′), though the Croatians would equalise on aggregate through winger Arber Hoxha’s excellent finish from a narrow angle into the bottom right (49′).
Koulierakis would play a pivotal role in restoring PAOK’s lead in the tie after guiding the ball in from a corner, this time having the goal officially credited to him (72′).
Winger Andrija Zivkovic put the game to bed with a calm penalty into the bottom left (88′), powering his side into the UECL quarter-finals for the second time in three seasons.
Giannina seeking hopeful win over Atromitos in opening round of play-outs
The relegation race is set to be hotly contested with four teams fighting desperately to avoid the bottom two, with the current wooden spooners in Giannina especially desperate to down Atromitos to boost their hopes of survival.
The Epirutans go away to face the Peristeriotes on Sunday morning (AEDT) in the opening round of the Greek Super League play-outs, and the visitors will be hopeful of getting a win.
A victory for Giannina could prove massive, given that there are three other teams within three points of them, meaning that any triumphs could drastically improve their odds of avoiding the drop.
Volos is similarly looking to escape the bottom two in their away clash with Asteras Tripolis, though it will be a massive challenge as the Arcadians are the top-placed in the play-outs.
Panetolikos hosts Panserraikos and the Agrinio side will be craving the chance to create distance from the bottom two spots, of which they are only one point away from.
Kifisia, likewise, will be hoping to maximise their home ground advantage when they face OFI.
The hosts are two points away from the relegation zone, but a victory could create some healthy distance (assuming other results also go their way) and with OFI only one place above them on the ladder, this does loom as a close match they could feasibly win.
Play-outs Rd 1 fixtures (AEDT)
Asteras Tripolis-Volos: 02.00, Sun 17 Mar
Kifisia-OFI: 02.30, Sun 17 Mar
Atromitos-Giannina: 04.30, Sun 17 Mar
Panetolikos-Panserraikos: 05.00, Sun 17 Mar