Match results and all goals in the 2023-2024 Conference League semi-finals. Greece’s Olympiacos beat Aston Villa 4-2 thanks to El Kaabi’s hat-trick, while Fiorentina beat Club Brugge 3-2 in a dramatic match, scoring the winner in the 91st minute.
On May 2, the first matches of the 1/2 finals of the 2023-2024 Conference League took place. Aston Villa sensationally lost to Olympiacos at home, and Fiorentina, playing in the majority, put the pressure on Brugge in the last minutes of the match and snatched victory. The best moments of the European Cup meetings are in the review of the semi-final matches of the Conference League from the Sport25 correspondent.
Aston Villa – Olympiacos, 2:4. Conference League, May 2
And we immediately go to England, where the top match in terms of intensity and football emotions took place. The Greeks continue their legendary European Cup campaign. The Red and Whites won in Birmingham thanks to a hat-trick from El Kaabi, who became one of the leaders in the 2024 Conference League scorers and snipers race. The Villans had a territorial advantage, the hosts attacked more and had more shots on goal, but Olympiacos was saved by the goalkeeper Konstantinos Tsolakiswho previously became the hero of the quarterfinals of the LK.
Olympiacos managed their chances more effectively. In the 16th minute, Chiquinho made a brilliant back-heel pass. El Kaabi, who sent the ball into the net from outside the penalty area. 13 minutes later he scored a double. Chiquinho again passed the ball to his partner with his heel, another Portuguese Podence from the central zone carefully threw the ball behind the Villa defenders, and El Kaabi beat the goalkeeper and made the score 2:0 in favor of Olympiacos.
“Villa” brought back the intrigue in stoppage time of the first half – they completed a high-speed attack Watkins. And in the debut of the second segment Diaby shot past Tsolakis from the sharpest angle and equalized the score – 2:2 in the 52nd minute.
However, Villans defender Douglas Louis carelessly stuck his hand out in his own penalty area after hitting the visiting footballer’s head, and the referee awarded a penalty. Converted the point in the 56th minute El Kaabi.
The final score was set by the Argentine midfielder of Olympiacos in the 67th minute. Santiago Essay kick from outside the penalty area. At the end of the meeting, Aston Villa had a sure chance to score, but Douglas Louis missed the penalty: he shot wide of the goal, and “won” the status of the anti-hero of the meeting in Birmingham. The Legends win the first European club semi-final in their history with a score of 4:2.
Fiorentina – Brugge, 3:2. Conference League, May 2
The match in Florence turned out to be a drama for the Black and Blues. Firstly, the “violets” snatched a draw from under the guests’ noses. Secondly, irreplaceable central midfielder Raphael Onyedika was sent off for two yellows in the 61st minute, which will add to Brugge’s problems in the return match a week later.
Fiorentina started with a quick goal: in the 5th minute, a cannon shot from the penalty line was executed by Ricardo Sottil. The visitors equalized in the 17th minute when Club Brugge’s captain Hans Vanaken calmly executed the 11-meter. The “black and blues” did not keep the score tied until the break. In the 37th minute, the Violets completed a protracted attack from outside the penalty area Belotti – 2:1.
The same Belotti could increase his team’s advantage at the start of the second half. But his header after a set piece was canceled out by visiting goalkeeper Nordin Jakkers, who pulled the ball under the crossbar.
“Bruges” did not sit back in defense, and already in the minority again restored parity. 19-year-old defender of the “black and blues” Jorne Spillers made a sighted long throw from his own goal into the opponent’s half of the field, the Brazilian Thiago escaped the pressure of the Fiorentina players and eventually equalized the score – 2:2 in the 63rd minute. And yet the “violets” achieved an important victory. In the 91st minute they laid siege to the Brugge goal, and after a series of rebounds the goal was scored Mbala N’Zola.
The return matches of the 1/2 finals of the 2023-2024 Conference League will be held on May 8 and 9 (0+).
