Skip to main content

The Best Greek Teams in the European Competitions

Image
By

 


Some Greek teams reached crucial stages in the European competitions before Olympiakos’ success in Conference League this season.

Olympiakos has stunned the fans after crushing the favourite, Aston Villa, in the Conference League semi-final. Jose Mendilibar's men finally clinch the title after securing a narrow 1-0 win over the runner-up in the previous edition, Fiorentina. Their emergence in the continental final is surely quite shocking.  Let alone winning it. Once in a while, the Greek teams did manage to advance to the crucial stage. Here are the Greek teams that could reach their furthest stages in the previous three major club competitions in Europe.

Olympiakos in the UEFA Winners Cup 1993

Before their outstanding campaign in the Conference League this season, Olympiakos did it before in the second-tier continental competition in the past, which has been abolished, the Winners Cup. Back in the 1992–93 season, they managed to reach the quarterfinals. Such might not be as far as PAOK Salonika in 1974, Larissa in 1985, AEK Athens in 1997 and 1998, or Panionios in 1999. Yet, what Olympiakos went through was more stunning than that of his other Greek counterparts. 

In the 1992–93 season, the Greek side was led by the notable Ukrainian boss, Oleg Blokhin. They eliminated Ukraine’s Chernomorets Odessa by a 3-1 win on aggregate in the first round. In the second round, Olympiakos surprisingly picked up a 1-0 win over Arsene Wenger’s Monaco on the road. Monaco was the tournament’s runner-up in the previous season. In the second leg, Oleg Protasov and Co. were able to hold the Ligue 1 side in a stalemate. Unfortunately, their campaign ended in the eighth round. They were unable to ease past Atletico Madrid and were beaten 4-2 on aggregate (1-1; 1-3).

AEK Athens in the UEFA Cup 1977                                         

In UEFA Cup, AEK Athens’ campaign was even better. They managed to go through the semifinals in 1976/77. The capital side had an underrated yet experienced manager, Frantisek Fadrhonc. He was the Czech boss who guided the Netherlands to qualify for the 1974 FIFA World Cup before he was replaced byRinus Michels for the final round. 

Fadrhonc was able to guide AEK Athens to the final four after seeing off several more established teams, such as Dynamo Moscow in the first round, two English teams, Derby County and QPR in the second round and quarterfinals, and Red Star Belgrade in the third round. Their most dramatic result was probably in the round of 8, as they already suffered a 3-0 defeat in the first leg. Yet Fadrhonc’s men managed to make a superb comeback by trashing the English side 3-0 at home before eliminating Trevor Francis and Co. on penalties. Unfortunately, they were running out of steam in the semifinal. The eventual champions, Juventus, ran rampant and hammered AEK in a 5-1 win on aggregate (4-1; 1-0). 

Panathinaikos in the Champions League 1971

This was probably the best campaign for Greek clubs in European football. Panathinaikos surprisingly advanced to the final of the 1971 European Cup to take on Ajax Amsterdam. They had been out of the radar since the team was never a favourite, despite having the legendary Ferenc Puskas on the sidelines.

The Hungarian legende seemed to bring the magic again from the dugout. He was able to lead Panathinaikos to the summit after knocking out Luxembourg’s Jeunesse Ech and Czechoslovakia’s Slovan Bratislava before eventually meeting two stronger sides, English champions Everton and Red Star Belgrade. They saw them off relying on away goal rules with 1-1 and 4-4 on aggregate. Puskas’s men eventually had to surrender in the final, as they were hapless against the star-studded Dutch team with Johan Cryuff and Johan Neeskens on the pitch. Panathinaikos’ European campaign ended in a 2-0 defeat at Wembley Stadium. 

 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2005 FIFA U20 World Cup: The Rise of Lionel Messi

By
  The 2005 U20 World Cup was, without question, Lionel Messi ’s stage. The Argentine wonderkid not only dazzled scouts, fans, teammates, and opponents alike, but also captivated the entire footballing world. It was the tournament that announced his arrival — and the rest, as they say, is history. *La Pulga* didn’t just win the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player; he also claimed the Golden Boot with six goals and two assists. Remarkably, he became one of only three Argentine players ever to clinch both individual honours at a single edition. What made Messi ’s triumph even more special was the manner in which Argentina captured their fifth title — through a rocky road reminiscent of their 2022 World Cup journey. After losing their opening game, José Pekerman’s side went on a six-match winning streak, with Messi scoring in every knockout round, right through to the final — just as he would do in Qatar 17 years later. Tournament Facts The 2005 U20 World Cup didn’t b...
Post a Comment
Read more

The 1970 FIFA World Cup: Shaping the Modern Game

By
  The 1970 FIFA World Cup can be considered the cornerstone of the modern World Cup. Many of the elements we now know in every four-year staging of the biggest football event were introduced at this edition of the World Cup. Mexico 1970 was the first World Cup held outside of Europe and South America. The CONCACAF country was selected as the host at the FIFA Congress in October 1964, beating out other candidates like Argentina. Various breakthroughs were made by FIFA to standardize the rules, allocate team spots per confederation, and globally promote the World Cup and football in general. The 1970 World Cup Fun Facts The 1970 Mexico World Cup had several interesting facts, especially regarding the new match regulations used for the first time. Here are the highlights from the first World Cup held in North America: Israel, Morocco, and El Salvador made their debuts. North Korea boycotted the qualifiers, refusing to play against Israel. Morocco only bro...
Post a Comment
Read more

Germany vs Argentina, an Endless Classic Duel

By
  Germany vs Argentina is a World Cup classic match that refuses to fade with time. The meeting of two giants from Europe and South America has become the most frequently contested fixture in World Cup finals history. The two nations have faced each other three times in the showpiece occasion: 1986, 1990 and 2014. The rivalry truly gathered momentum at the 1986 World Cup and continued four years later in Italy, where the two sides took turns beating each other in consecutive finals. Their feud resurfaced again in the mid-2000s, as Die Mannschaft and La Albiceleste were drawn together in decisive knockout rounds at three consecutive tournaments. Naturally, this heavyweight clash has also been defined by the stars of different eras. In the 1980s and 1990s, Germany boasted figures such as Lothar Matthäus, Rudi Völler and Jürgen Klinsmann , while Argentina relied on the brilliance of Diego Maradona, Jorge Valdano and Sergio Goycochea. The 2000s ushered in a new generation, with nam...
Post a Comment
Read more