[REVISION HISTORY]

OFI Crete Europa League qualification and league phase

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What changed

2026-11-07 11:13 UTC → 2026-11-08 20:23 UTC · added ~~removed~~

OFI Crete has achieved a historic milestone by qualifying for the UEFA Europa League League Phase. After a dominant 3-0 first-leg victory against CSKA Sofia, the Greek club secured their advancement with a 2-0 win in the second leg in Bulgaria. Ahead of the decisive playoff, owner Michalis Bousis motivated the squad, telling them, “You didn't get this far for nothing. You got this far to win.” In their League Phase debut at the Pankritio Stadium, OFI Crete secured a historic 2-0 victory over German side TSG Hoffenheim, with goals from Aitor Cantalapiedra and Georgios Kanellopoulos. This win provided a significant financial boost, accumulating approximately €6.38 million in revenue. Following the match, manager Christos Kontis urged the team to remain focused, noting that “great teams only celebrate for a little while.” OFI Crete’s momentum was later interrupted by a 2-1 comeback defeat against Stade Rennais at Roazhon Park. On October 21, 2026, OFI Crete hosted Bayer Leverkusen. Despite 12 saves from goalkeeper Klidman Lilo, the Greek side lost 2-0 to goals from Jonas Hofmann in the 35th and 38th minutes, leaving them in 26th place. On November 5, 2026, OFI Crete secured a significant 2-0 away victory against Hapoel Beer Sheva at the Superbet Arena-Giulești in Bucharest, Romania. Due to the situation in Israel, Hapoel Beer Sheva used the Romanian venue as a temporary home. Achilleas Poungouras scored in the 45+2 minute following a set-piece by Nikos Athanasiou, and Taxiarhis Fountas doubled the lead in the 56th minute with a direct free kick. ~~Despite a late disallowed goal by captain Thanasis Androutsos due to offside, OFI maintained control.~~ Following the win, coach Christos Kontis stated it was the best performance he had seen from the team. This result moved OFI Crete to 16th place in the standings with six ~~points, with projections suggesting a 55.7% chance of progressing to~~ points. Following the ~~next round.~~ European success, OFI Crete recorded a 0-0 draw against Atromitos in Heraklion.

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