Greek Giants Stage Epic Comebacks to Reach Europa Conference League Quarter-Finals

Thessaloniki, Greece - March 15, 2024 - In a night of unforgettable football, both Olympiacos and PAOK secured dramatic victories to advance to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL).

Facing a seemingly insurmountable 4-1 deficit from the first leg, Olympiacos produced a historic comeback, defeating Maccabi Tel Aviv 6-1 in Israel (7-5 on aggregate) after extra time. The Piraeus giants stormed back with a dominant display, spearheaded by early goals from Daniel Podence and Kostas Fortounis. Ayoub El Kaabi’s spectacular bicycle kick in the first half left the crowd in awe, and goals from Stevan Jovetic and Youssef El Arabi in extra time sealed the remarkable victory.

Coach, this is your birthday gift! 🎂 🎁 🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/PQvIlADTbw

— Olympiacos FC (@olympiacosfc) March 14, 2024

PAOK also enjoyed a thrilling night at their Toumba Stadium, overturning a 2-goal deficit against Dinamo Zagreb with a convincing 5-1 win (5-3 on aggregate). Baba Rahman opened the scoring, followed by a fortuitous goal from Konstantinos Koulierakis and a header from Brandon Thomas. Despite conceding an equalizer, PAOK remained relentless. Koulierakis scored his second, and Andrija Zivkovic converted a penalty in the closing stages to secure their place in the next round.