One of the protagonists in the big European night of Olympiakos, Panagiotis Retsosgave an interview to Mega and referred to the triumph of the Piraeus and what followed that night.
The 25-year-old emphasized that when he finally scored his goal Ayoub El Kaabi he shuddered, believing beforehand that the game would not go to penalties. In addition, he talked about his coach, Jose Luis Mendilibarbut also him Vithene Ibora who were the two in the team that had performances from a final, while he also mentioned the celebrations and the big celebration that was set up in Piraeus.
Everything he said in detail:
On what he did after the final: “I have not slept at all. We went to Karaiskakis and my father and brother came to pick me up, we went to a bakery to eat, I went home to lie down but I didn’t lie down and then I watched the match. Then I went for coffee, saw friends, sat with family and ended up at Mega.”
For the sharpest image: “I will never forget the celebrations when the VAR showed the goal. I remember how Chiquinios reacted while I shuddered too. I went to drink water and the goal was immediately announced”.
For his hunch: “I had a feeling that the game would be over before it went to penalties. I felt that something was going to happen in 87 or 88 someone was going to score a goal with a header, especially from a set piece. But even when we went to overtime I thought we wouldn’t go to penalties, I had this feeling that we’ll take it after penalties.”
On Fiorentina’s anxiety: “A lot of people thought that Fiorentina had the experience, but they went into the final knowing that they have to win it after losing last year’s final and they had an extra stress. While for us things were different. What we had discussed in the locker room is that we had climbed the biggest step by reaching the final and from there we should go and enjoy it. There were only two people who had experienced playing in a final, Ibora and the coach.”
For the Mediliber plan: “We have reached the final, our coach had said, and we will go to play with our plan, we will not change anything because it is a final. Fiorentina had adapted to our plan, we tried to restrict us to the sides, he wasn’t pressing 100% so that we wouldn’t take advantage of him with any deep balls to El Kaabi or someone else. They adapted to us and not us to them and I think it worked out very well for us.”
For his shirts and the trophy: “The trophy is heavy. Fortounis made double-headers who held it the whole time. As for my shirts, I gave one shirt to my father and kept the other.”
About Medilibar and his system: “We have changed three coaches and each coach does not play the same system. So we had to change from coach to coach because everyone asked for different things. With the advent of Mediliber, his game, I like it and it suits me. It shows that the player has the personality and confidence to win the game. With the addition of Ciquinho, Horta, Carmo the team was helped. Karmo is a kid with a height of 1.94 and I don’t remember him losing any head, he is a good kid and quiet. All of them, however, give 100% to every game.”
On his mistake against Fenerbahçe: “I had discussed the tackle with Fenerbahce and I was the first to tell him that I was fooling around, but it was the specific mistake that led to the situation. That didn’t make me feel any better because we lost the game, but the bottom line is it lets you know what’s right. This coach is straightforward and tells it like it is.”
For the celebrations after the final: “What we experienced at the celebrations, I don’t know if anyone else has experienced it in the last fifteen years. What we experienced did not exist. At the Municipal Theater I said that there can’t be so many people, at that time, it was 4:30 in the morning. It was a fantastic feeling and I wish the match was held at 8 and ended at 10 and we could live it 2-3 hours longer. The pictures say it all. I don’t know if we will experience something similar again. I wish we could live it again, now we also have the Europa League. We’ll take it step by step, we have a long way to go for anything.”
About what happened in the locker room before the final: “In the dressing room before the match there was music, classics from Rodney and the coach said some general things to us. Fortounis, El Arabi and Jovevich made a speech as older and experienced. Especially Youssef who is probably finishing and is a very good boy and loves the team, that’s why Fortunis deified him at the Municipal Theater. So without saying anything, we went into the game with a lot of confidence.”
For a more intense feeling of: “We feel a little special about the situation we’ve been through. The foreigners were very happy, I could see it in them, they felt it was real and they weren’t kidding, but especially we Greeks experienced it differently, it’s a different feeling”.
For what they see on Instagram: “I was discussing it with Tzolakis, that 3 months ago we were seeing Guardiola and others in the 4-3-3 and now El Kaabi was being thrown. We were saying, this can’t be done.”
About the poem with Doe: “Before overtime I go to the bench and Doe tells me you’re hurting, I answer him a little and he says you’re awesome, keep going.”
About the dialogue he had with Bartzokas: “We were playing against Barcelona in basketball, the eve of the match against Aston Villa in Karaiskakis and there were four Greeks in the room, me, Tzolakis, Masouras and Doi. There was tension in the room and the next day, when Barzokas came to Bendilibar to greet him, I remember saying to Barzokas “what did you do yesterday” and he replies: “what did we do?”. It was a special moment and even though they are two different sports, this team can bring them together. There is no better feeling than going to watch basketball and enjoying it equally. And it was unpleasant that Olympiacos didn’t manage to win the Euroleague.”
What Olympiacos is about: “Olympiacos is loyalty. They are the biggest team in Greece and although in recent years there was a doubt, now there is no longer any such issue and we are showing it in practice that we are the biggest team in Greece and it is a team that wants people who want to star”.
For the psychological part: “For a footballer, the psychological part is very difficult and all footballers must work on it. I personally work on it because that’s how you become the footballer you want to be. I know I get commented on, I get it when I go out. But I am working on it, there is a person who has helped me with this part and now I handle it very well and I am very proud of how I turned it from last year to this year.”
For the difficult years abroad: “The second year at Leverkusen was a very bad year with a lot of injuries. Then to find myself, because I had lost him for 2-3 years and Greece helped me a lot to be able to find him. The most important thing is that I had my family by my side and many people who helped me, because it is different to be abroad and different to be in Greece with your people”.
For Tzolakis and Iboras: “Tzolakis was the protagonist of this march. But football is a team sport and, for example, if Ibora wasn’t there sometimes, we don’t know what would have happened. Ibora is an example for all of us. He has achieved so many things, won so many trophies and this was just one more. The mentality he has and how he manages everyday life at the age of 36, is an example for all of us”.
Source: Sport Fm
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
