Vincenzo Italiano says Fiorentina "really believed we could have a different ending", after La Viola suffered Europa Conference League final heartbreak for the second year running.

Italiano's side were beaten by West Ham in last year's showpiece, with Jarrod Bowen snatching a last-gasp winner in Prague.

Fiorentina suffered a similar fate 12 months later, as Ayoub El Kaabi struck four minutes before the end of extra time to give Olympiacos their first title in a major European competition.

La Viola embarked on a club record 13-match unbeaten run to reach their second successive Europa Conference League final.

But Italiano, who will depart the club at the end of the season, admitted it counted for nothing, with his side once again left to wonder what might have been.

"We really believed this time. It hurts," he told Sky Sports Italia. "It's disappointing for the second time.

"It's disappointing because again we had many situations to score goals, but the players did everything they could. It hurts to see my players cry. We really believed this time we could have a different epilogue to this campaign.

"Losing hurts; going all the way for two years running is something good, but naturally you have to lift a trophy, and we didn't manage it.

"The journey feels ruined when you have to watch the others lift the silverware. At this moment, I feel too bitter, disappointed, let down, because I really believed we could have a different ending."

Jose Luis Mendilibar rejoiced "it is an honour to have made the fans happy" after leading Olympiacos to their historic Europa Conference League final triumph over Fiorentina.

Thrylos became the first Greek side to win a major European competition, as Ayoub El Kaabi's extra-time winner snatched a dramatic 1-0 victory at AEK Arena.

It provided a happy ending to an eventful season for Olympiacos, with Mendilibar their third different manager of the campaign having replaced Carlos Carvahal in February.

Following his Europa League success with Sevilla 12 months ago, the Spaniard became the first coach since Rafael Benitez (2003-04 UEFA Cup with Valencia; 2004-05 Champions League with Liverpool) to win major European competitions in consecutive seasons with different clubs.

"I am very happy and satisfied, and it is an honour to have made the fans happy," Mendilibar said. 

"I am very happy that we achieved something that the club had not achieved before. We will celebrate, we will cheer, and then we will get back to work for what comes next."

Olympiacos winger Giorgos Masouras added: "I have no words. It has not yet sunk in. We did it together. I was certain we would win it, and we held on and got it in the end.

"We are now part of Europe's elite and have more responsibilities. We have to maintain this level now."

Ayoub El Kaabi will be the toast of Piraeus after his match-winning heroics secured Olympiakos' first-ever European trophy following their Europa Conference League success on Wednesday.

The Olympiacos striker delivered the fatal blow against Fiorentina, bundling home with four minutes remaining of extra time to snatch a 1-0 victory at the AEK Arena.

El Kaabi is the first player to score 11 goals in a single knockout stage campaign in major European competition since the introduction of group stages.

Radamel Falcao, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema all only ever managed 10 such goals in one campaign of UEFA competitions, and El Kaabi moves next to greatness in another aspect, too.

The Moroccan forward is the first non-European player to score 14 goals in major European competition in a single season, since Lionel Messi in 2011-12 (also 14).

Olympiakos have their star striker to thank after becoming the first-ever Greek side to lift a trophy in major European competition, while Fiorentina will be wounded by another failure in this tournament.

Having lost to West Ham in last season's Conference League final, Fiorentina have now lost five of their last six finals in Europe, their only success coming against Rangers in the 1961 Cup Winners' Cup.

Defeat also ended La Viola's longest unbeaten run in Europe in their history, halting a 13-match undefeated streak in abrupt fashion.

Ayoub El Kaabi was the hero as Olympiacos won their first major European honour in history as they snatched a dramatic 1-0 extra-time victory over Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final.

After nothing could separate the sides inside 90 minutes, talisman El Kaabi scored a 116th-minute winner at the AEK Arena as they became the first Greek side to win a major European competition.

Once again, Fiorentina fell at the final hurdle of this competition, with La Viola also losing out to West Ham in the Prague showpiece last season.

However, the success belonged to Olympiacos and head coach Jose Luis Mendilibar, who secured continental glory in successive seasons following his Europa League triumph with Sevilla this time last year.

Daniel Podence tested Pietro Terracciano early on before Fiorentina thought they had opened the scoring just nine minutes into the final.

Cristiano Biraghi's cross crept into Konstantinos Tzolakis' bottom-right corner, but Nikola Milenkovic was ruled offside for his position in front of the Olympiacos goalkeeper.

Despite their celebrations being cut short, Fiorentina continued with the greater attacking impetus throughout the first half.

Yet La Viola's dominance paid little dividends as Giacomo Bonaventura – their scorer in last season’s final defeat to West Ham – wasted the best chance, shooting straight at Tzolakis from close range after 21 minutes.

Opportunities remained elusive after the break but Fiorentina again went close in the 69th minute as Dodo found Christian Kouame, whose scuffed effort was pushed away by Tzolakis.

Olympiacos almost struck 11 minutes later when Francisco Ortega's free-kick was met by Iborra, but the 36-year-old's header missed the inside Terracciano's right-hand post as the final headed for extra-time.

Mendilibar had earlier introduced former Fiorentina striker Stevan Jovetic, who almost came back to haunt his old club in the 96th minute, when cutting inside before fizzing a strike that Terracciano tipped away.

A penalty shoot-out appeared likely when Tzolakis denied Jonathan Ikone, until El Kaabi ghosted in to nod home Santiago Hezze's cross with just four minutes remaining and send Olympiacos' fans into ecstasy after a lengthy VAR check for offside in Athens.

Vincenzo Italiano has urged Fiorentina to use their "bitterness" from last year's defeat in the Europa Conference League final against Olympiacos on Wednesday.

Fiorentina lost the 2023 Europa Conference League final in Prague to West Ham 2-1, conceding in the 90th minute to miss out on the chance to lift the trophy.

The Viola have not lost a game in the competition on the way to the final, holding off Club Brugge 4-3 on aggregate to reach the final for the second consecutive year.

Despite suffering disappointment last year, Italiano is hopeful his team can use that as a lesson to lead them to the trophy this time around.

"The only thing that's different is that we've already experienced certain things," Italiano told a press conference before Wednesday's final.

"We have a bit of experience; we carry that with us and tomorrow we have to show it. We can't make any mistakes; we must stay alert and focused.

"Last year we didn't have a good ending. We'll bring that bitterness to make it end differently."

Meanwhile, Olympiacos are aiming to make history by becoming the first Greek side to win a European trophy.

Jose Luis Mendilibar, who won the Europa League with Sevilla last season, took over Olympiacos in February and is leading the team out for the final in their home city of Athens.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Mendilibar said he would not be making any changes, approaching this game as they have the rest.

"We have to stay calm and relaxed and do what got us to the final. To change anything would be a mistake.

"We have to treat this game like any other because that's how we managed to get to the final.

"Along the way, we've crossed the whole of Europe, playing against a lot of opponents.

"At times we were favourites, and then underdogs again. There are so many different moments and I think we could call it a marathon, and now we've reached the end."

John McGinn is quickly turning his focus to the "astronomical achievement" of Champions League qualification after Aston Villa suffered heartbreak in the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League.

Villa were among the favourites to lift Europe's third-tier trophy but a 2-0 defeat at Olympiacos on Thursday consigned Unai Emery's men to a 6-2 aggregate loss over the two-leg tie.

It means Villa end what has largely been viewed as an excellent season without a trophy but they can still finish on a high by securing a top-four finish in the Premier League.

They lead fifth-place Tottenham by seven points with two games left in their domestic season, albeit Spurs do have a game in hand.

McGinn apologised to the travelling support in Piraeus but, speaking to TNT Sports after the game, said there is still an opportunity to finish the season on a high.

"We went into this competition as favourites and we handled that pressure throughout the competition, I think it’s been a huge learning curve for us," he said.

"It's not been a smooth journey, we got to the semi-finals down to the bare bones a bit.

"However, those of us who were out there over the two legs, we lost to who were the better team and I think the scoreline proves it."

"Our instant feeling is absolutely gutted. We all wanted to be back here for the final.

"Olympiacos gave it absolutely everything, played out of their skin in both legs, and overall the scoreline proves they were the better team.

"We'll reflect, there's a lot of things we could have done better, but over the season, of course, we can be proud of the journey.

"Obviously, we need to apologise to the supporters who have travelled here, they've travelled the whole campaign with us.

"We wanted to deliver a trophy to them, we all wanted it as players. We’'e all bitterly disappointed, but we need a big push in the last two games to try and get over the line for the Champions League, which would be an astronomical achievement.

"But here, the overriding feeling is disappointment, frustration and an opportunity missed. Congratulations to Olympiacos and we wish them all the best in the final."

Olympiacos will face Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final after an Ayoub El Kaabi double secured a 6-2 aggregate win over Aston Villa.

After a stunning 4-2 win at Villa Park last weekend to take the ascendancy in the semi-final tie, first-leg hat-trick hero El Kaabi struck early before netting again late on to stamp out any hopes of a Villa comeback.

After a strong start from the visitors, El Kaabi scored his fourth goal of the tie just 10 minutes into Thursday's second leg at Stadio Georgios Karaiskaki, getting on the end of Quini's low cross to turn home at the far post.

It looked an uphill battle for Villa, who dominated the possession throughout the contest in Greece but struggled to make a dent in the stubborn hosts.

Douglas Luiz saw a long-range effort saved by Kostas Tzolakis while the Olympiacos goalkeeper also denied Moussa Diaby. El Kaabi made sure late on, getting on the end of a long ball to fire past Martinez and secure Olympiacos' final berth.

The fairytale comeback never materialised for Villa, and it will be Olympiacos who take on Fiorentina at the Agia Sophia Stadium in the Greek capital of Athens on May 29, looking to utilise familiar surroundings to claim their first major European trophy.

Data debrief

El Kaabi was the hero again for Olympiacos as his two second-leg finishes took him to 10 Europa Conference League goals for the campaign, more than any other player, while his 13 strikes in major European competitions are also more than any other player when factoring in his three Europa League goals.

Villa had 73.9 per cent of the ball in the second leg, yet their 1.14 xG (expected goals) was still inferior to Olympiacos' 1.23 as the Greek Super League side's ruthlessness clinched their spot in the final.

Unai Emery says Thursday's Europa Conference League clash with Olympiacos is Aston Villa's "biggest challenge" of the season.

Villa are 4-2 down after a shock defeat in the first leg of the semi-final tie at Villa Park last week.

While they are pushing for a top-four finish in the Premier League, Emery believes attempting to overturn the deficit in Greece will prove to be Villa's biggest test yet.

"This is the challenge tomorrow, the biggest challenge we’re going to face this year, playing in this semi-final," Emery said.

"I will find the best performances tomorrow and really be competitive.

"Of course, it's going to be very difficult here away because the atmosphere supporting the home team could be more difficult.

"In 90 minutes, we have to be focused with everything tactically, being in control of our emotions, set-pieces as well, everything."

Olympiacos or Villa will face Fiorentina in the final on May 29, after the Serie A club overcame Club Brugge on Wednesday.

Aston Villa captain, John McGinn said that “everything that could have gone wrong, did” after their Europa Conference League semi-final first-leg defeat to Olympiacos on Thursday.

Ayoub El Kaabi scored a hat-trick for Olympiacos, netting twice in the first half, though Villa fought back through Ollie Watkins and Moussa Diaby.

El Kaabi converted a spot-kick before a deflected Santiago Hezze strike put the visitors back in control.

Douglas Luiz also missed a late penalty, leaving Villa with a two-goal deficit to overturn in the second leg next Thursday.

Asked what he felt went wrong for the Villans, McGinn, speaking to TNT Sports, said: "Not the game we wanted. We wanted a lot more control. We started the game well.

"They're a good side. We wanted a victory going to Greece. We showed we're capable of coming back.

"Mistakes all round tonight. We'll take responsibility, but it's up to us to go to Athens and turn it around because we're capable.

"They played very well tactically. They played the way we expected, so there were no surprises.

"Everything that could have gone wrong tonight did."

He added: "The manager was still positive in there. There's still a long way to go.

"We need to play a lot better than we did tonight, but we're more than capable of doing it.

"Hopefully we'll have a few players back. The onus is on us to attack Olympiacos and score some goals.

"We have a mountain to climb, but we know we're capable."

Aston Villa were stunned by Olympiacos as they suffered a 4-2 home defeat in the Europa Conference League.

On what the Villa faithful hoped would be a famous night at Villa Park, they instead saw their team dispatched by their Greek opponents in the first leg of their semi-final encounter.

Ayoub El Kaabi scored a hat-trick for the visitors, who were 2-0 up inside 30 minutes on Thursday.

Ollie Watkins and Moussa Diaby struck either side of the interval to restore parity, but El Kaabi sealed his hat-trick from the penalty spot before Santiago Hezze added further gloss with a sensational finish. To add to Villa's misery, Douglas Luiz then missed a penalty late on.

In the other semi-final tie, Fiorentina took a 3-2 aggregate lead against Club Brugge.

M'Bala Nzola was Fiorentina's hero in stoppage time, scoring in the 91st minute to nudge the Serie A team ahead.

Hans Vanaken had scored from a penalty following a VAR check for handball in the 17th minute, cancelling out Riccardo Sottil's early opener, though Fiorentina restored their lead through Andrea Belotti before half-time in a frantic first half.

Thiago equalised for Brugge, but it was ultimately not enough.

Rangers manager Michael Beale welcomed the “feedback” after some poor defending contributed to a 3-1 Ibrox friendly defeat against Olympiakos.

Beale started with Robby McCrorie in goal and an experienced back four of James Tavernier, Ben Davies, John Souttar and Borna Barisic.

He told Rangers TV: “The goals we have let in are poor and it’s good we are getting that feedback now. All three of the goals were really, really poor defending. It’s a whole team thing so we need to look at that.

“Some of our approach play and some of the attacking play was good. Listen, it’s really good feedback. We trained hard coming into the game so I knew we would be a bit heavy in the legs so that’s on me.

“The biggest thing in pre-season is to give yourself big challenges to prepare.

“We are not giving up big chances but we are conceding goals. But better now in pre-season when we can continue to work, than in two weeks’ time.”

The front six positions for Rangers were filled with 2023 signings – Nico Raskin, Kieran Dowell and Todd Cantwell in midfield with summer arrivals Sam Lammers, Cyriel Dessers and Abdallah Sima ahead of them.

Raskin hit the post from long range early on but Rangers trailed at half-time.

Tavernier levelled from the spot early in the second half and Lammers forced some decent stops but the Greek side eased to victory as Beale made nine second-half changes.

Olympiacos announced the termination of James Rodriguez's contract on Thursday after just eight months at the club.

The former Monaco, Real Madrid and Everton midfielder moved to Greece at the beginning of the season, but departs having not played for the club since mid-February due to injury.

A statement from Olympiacos read:" James will always be part of our club and a member of the 'red and white' family. We want to thank him for his service and we wish him every success in the future."

In his own message on social media, James said: "I would like to thank everyone for all the time that we have spent together.

"Although we are going our separate ways, I feel that I will always be a member and welcomed in the family of the great port Piraeus. I wish all the best to Olympiacos and every success in the future."

A breakout star from the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, James is now on the hunt for a new club having struggled to find stability in recent years.

James has not spent more than a single season at any of his last three clubs – Olympiacos, Al-Rayyan and Everton – while a two-year loan stint with Bayern Munich from 2017-2019 saw the Bundesliga giants decline to make a permanent move.

He remains a regular at international level with Colombia, however, scoring in a 2-2 draw with South Korea last month and boasting 90 caps for his country.

Real Madrid and Brazil great Marcelo has left Olympiacos just five months after signing for the Greek Super League champions.

The left-back, a five-time Champions League winner, called an end to his glittering Madrid career in September as he joined Olympiacos on a free transfer.

Marcelo made just five appearances in the Greek top flight this term, failing to start in any of those, after signing a reported one-year deal with an option of an additional year extension.

The 34-year-old took to Instagram to confirm he had parted ways with Olympiacos on Saturday.

"I have lived unforgettable moments in Greece, in which I was warmly welcomed to a new home, not only for me, but also for my family," he wrote.

"Piraeus and the people have all my heart and this won't be my last time in this amazing country. I can only express gratitude for wearing the Olympiacos jersey.

"Even though the brief stay, the experience and the friends I made there will be forever marked in my life.

"Today I say goodbye but I'm leaving my affection and respect to the president, my team-mates, all the employees and fans of the club.

"I wish Olympiacos a successful future! Thank you, Olympiacos."

The Greek Super League side added: "The entire Olympiacos family would like to thank @MarceloM12 for his cooperation and presence in Olympiacos.

"The time he stayed with us was brief but enough to create everlasting bonds. He knows that in Greece, in Piraeus he will always have friends!"

Reports suggest retirement is not on the cards for Marcelo, who remains Madrid's most decorated player after the 58-cap Brazil international lifted 25 major trophies with the LaLiga giants.

Fluminense president Mario Bittencourt confirmed the club are keen on signing Thiago Silva and Marcelo at the end of their contracts.

Silva, 38, began his career at Fluminense, returning to the club in 2006 for a three-year spell before making his mark in European football with Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.

Full-back Marcelo's footballing roots also trace back to the Brazilian side, with a single year in the first team before a trophy-laden 15-years with Real Madrid that ended in 2022.

Both players are out of contract with their teams at the end of the season and Bittencourt confirmed the club will make a move if they do not renew with Chelsea and Olympiacos respectively.

"We are waiting for [Thiago Silva's] decision at Chelsea. We don't know yet if he will extend there or not," he told a press conference.

"Depending on this information, whether he extends or not, we will start discussions for him to come back to Fluminense.

"We have the will to bring [Marcelo] in. But he is in the same situation as Thiago Silva. He has a contract in Greece that goes until May.

"We are waiting to see the decision he will take there, if he will extend or not. There was a report that Al-Nassr, the same club as Cristiano [Ronaldo], were interested in him.

"We are following the situation of Marcelo and Thiago Silva to bring them back."

James Rodriguez has signed for Olympiacos after terminating his contract with Qatar Stars League club Al-Rayyan.

The Colombia international joined Al-Rayyan from Everton in September 2021, a little over a year after he had joined the Premier League side, with Rafael Benitez having deemed the playmaker surplus to requirements.

James made just 12 league appearances for Al-Rayyan, scoring four times, and on Thursday the club confirmed the mutual termination of the 31-year-old's contract, enabling him to sign for Greek giants Olympiacos on a free transfer.

Olympiacos teased the arrival of the attacker, who claimed LaLiga and Bundesliga titles with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich respectively, with a shirt featuring the number 10, before officially confirming the signing later on Thursday.

James starred at the 2014 World Cup, winning the Golden Boot and earning a switch from Monaco to Madrid, but he will not be making a swift return to Qatar later this year, with Colombia having failed to qualify for the tournament.

With Olympiacos featuring in the Europa League, James will be in line to make his first appearance in a UEFA competition since October 2019, when he played in the Champions League for Madrid.

Across his appearances in the Champions League, Europa League and the Super Cup, James has scored six goals and provided 12 assists.