The Morocco star popped up late on with the winning goal as Olympiacos ran out 1-0 winners after extra time against Fiorentina. To add some extra spice to the victory, they claimed their first-ever European trophy at the home of domestic rivals AEK Athens.
It seemed clear from the first half that it would be a low-scoring affair as both teams dropped their intensity after a lively start that saw them exchange attacks. Fiorentina soon took over as the more threatening team and had a goal ruled out for offside just nine minutes in, but their attempts on goal were fairly weak from then on.
Ex-Fiorentina star Stevan Jovetic created a chance to break the deadlock and his former team's hearts with a shot from the edge of the box for Olympiacos in extra time but a strong save kept it out. Jonathan Ikone will feel his shot towards the Greek side's goal should have been the decider in the second half of extra time, but he was comfortably denied and then catastrophe struck for his team.
After 116 minutes, El Kaabi sealed the Greek giants' first continental trophy when he got onto the end of a cross and headed beyond Pietro Terracciano. The competition's top scorer, it was his 11th goal and easily the most valuable.
A painfully long wait followed as the goal was reviewed by VAR but it was given the all clear and Olympiacos went wild as they sealed the title.