Olympiacos are champions of Europe for the fourth time after defeating FTC-Telekom in a dramatic penalty shootout in Malta.
The Greek champions recovered from a two-goal deficit in the closing stages to force a 14-14 draw before substitute goalkeeper Britt van den Dobbelsteen produced an extraordinary performance in the shootout.
Introduced specifically for the penalties by Olympiacos coach Giorgos Doskas, the Dutch goalkeeper saved all three FTC attempts as Olympiacos won the shootout 3-0 and completed a 17-14 victory.
Van den Dobbelsteen denied Bea Ortiz, Dorottya Szilagyi and Eleftheria Plevritou, while Maria Myriokefalitaki, Vasiliki Plevritou and Ioanna Siouti converted for Olympiacos.
The victory gives Olympiacos their fourth Champions League title, following their previous triumphs in 2015, 2021 and 2022. It is also the club’s eighth European trophy when their LEN Trophy and three European Super Cups are included.
Olympiacos make the stronger start
Olympiacos opened the final with confidence, taking an early 2-0 lead through Abby Andrews and Siouti before extending their advantage to 4-1 midway through the first quarter.
FTC gradually settled into the contest, with two goals from Greta Gurisatti helping the Hungarian champions reduce the deficit to 4-3 by the end of the opening period.
The Greek side continued to hold the advantage during the second quarter. Vasiliki Plevritou and Siouti struck from distance, while Eirini Ninou restored a two-goal cushion before half-time as Olympiacos entered the interval leading 7-5.
Goalkeeper Ioanna Stamatopoulou played an important role in preserving that advantage. She finished the match with 14 saves from 28 shots and repeatedly frustrated FTC during the opening half.
Gurisatti inspires FTC comeback
Olympiacos moved three goals clear when Maria Tricha converted a penalty early in the third quarter, but FTC responded with their best spell of the final.
Gurisatti led the Hungarian comeback, scoring three times during the period as FTC overturned an 8-5 deficit to move 9-8 ahead. The experienced Hungarian international was exceptional throughout the final and finished with seven goals.
Andrews responded immediately with two consecutive goals to restore Olympiacos’ lead at 10-9, but Eleftheria Plevritou equalised before Gurisatti scored on the buzzer to send FTC into the final quarter 11-10 ahead.
The momentum remained with FTC after the break. Although Ninou and Andrews twice brought Olympiacos level, goals from Rita Keszthelyi and Bea Ortiz established a 14-12 advantage with just over three minutes remaining.
FTC appeared to be closing in on their first women’s Champions League title, but Olympiacos refused to allow the final to slip away.
Andrews and Siouti rescue Olympiacos
Andrews reduced the deficit to one with her fifth goal of the match, completing an outstanding individual performance that later earned her the Final Four MVP award.
Olympiacos then received one final extra-player opportunity following a timeout with 49 seconds remaining. The Greeks worked the ball patiently before Siouti found the equaliser with only 13 seconds left.
FTC removed their goalkeeper for the final possession and created one last opportunity to win the trophy. Eleftheria Plevritou took the final shot, but the Olympiacos defence and Stamatopoulou combined to keep it out and send the match to penalties.
Doskas then made the decisive move of the evening, replacing Stamatopoulou with Van den Dobbelsteen for the shootout.
The substitute goalkeeper justified the decision spectacularly. Three FTC attempts produced three saves, while Olympiacos remained perfect at the other end to complete the shootout without requiring a fourth attempt.
For FTC, defeat brings a painful conclusion to an outstanding campaign in which the club reached its first Champions League final. The Hungarian champions had twice fought back from significant deficits and were only seconds away from lifting the trophy.
Instead, Olympiacos completed another memorable European triumph, returning to the top of the continent four years after their previous title.
Quarter scores: 4-3, 3-2, 3-6, 4-3
Regular-time score: 14-14
Penalty shootout: Olympiacos won 3-0
Final score: Olympiacos 17-14 FTC-Telekom
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