Ayoub El Kaabi Breaks Ronaldo, Benzema, Falcao’s Record in Olympiacos Win Over Fiorentina
Moroccan international Ayoub El Kaabi has etched his name in the UEFA record books ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Radamel Falcao in Olympiacos’ Europa Conference League triumph against Fiorentina.
The Moroccan striker scored the only goal at the OPAP Arena as the Greek side condemned the Italian side to a successive UECL final loss.
The Greek giants won their first-ever European trophy, all thanks to El Kaabi’s brilliance late in the game.
El Kaabi breaks Ronaldo, Benzema, Falcao’s record
The Moroccan striker’s goal against Fiorentina in the UECL final etched his name into the history books of European club competitions.
According to a report by ESPN, per Squawka, the former Al Sadd star became the first player to score 11 goals in a single UEFA club competition knockout stage.
Ronaldo and Benzema scored 10 goals in the UEFA Champions League knockout games in 2017 and 2022, respectively, while Falcao found the back of the net with the same number of goals, but it was in the Europa League in 2012.
The 30-year-old striker also ended his night with a Man of the Match award, and he’s in pole position to be named the tournament’s best player.
Ronaldo hits new milestone
Sports Brief earlier reported on Ronaldo reaching yet another incredible milestone in his illustrious career after netting twice in Al-Nassr’s final game in the 2023-24 Saudi Pro League (SPL) season against Al-Ittihad.
The Portuguese veteran struck on either side of halftime to etch his name in the history books of the Saudi top-flight league.
Moroccan forward, Abderrazak Hamdallah, who beat CR7 to the top scorer award last term, set the previous record for most goals in a single season with 34 in the 2018/19 campaign.