One of the Best European Nights for Cyprus

There’s just a different smell on nights where European football is being played. The smell of success, the smell of failure, the smell of eleven men behind the ball to stop the better team from scoring, and then throwing the goalkeeper up front for corners when the team inevitably concedes in the 86th minute.

Not sure that’s a great smell, but whatever.
Photo by Nicholas Githiri: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-holding-pink-rose-flower-closeup-photography-1094699/

To celebrate the final game week in the group stages of the european competitions, I have decided, this week would be a great time to go over one of the insane successes that have happened over the years for teams in Cyprus, when it looked like they would get absolutely demolished. The players looked at the script for the match, read it, and then decided to wipe their backsides with it.

You: What is wrong with you?
Photo by Mizuno K: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-looking-through-documents-and-making-a-confused-facial-expression-12911952/

Listen, do you want this, or not?

Don’t answer that.

The 2011-2012 season for APOEL fans will stay etched forever in their memories, mostly for the European campaign. In the league they finished a surprising second to an AEL team that shocked everyone. But they entered the Champions League in that season thanks to winning the league in 2010-2011 and starting off from the 2nd qualifying round. They made light work of Albania’s Skenderbeu, beating them 6-0 on aggregate. In the third round they faced Slovan Bratislava, and in the first leg in Nicosia, drew 0-0. The team decided to actually show up in the return leg in Slovakia and beat the home team 0-2. In the Play-off they went up against Wisla Krakow and had another scare in the first leg, losing 0-1 in Poland, which was a rocket up them in the second leg, and in Nicosia they won 3-1.

They qualified for the Champions League group stage. The second team from Cyprus to do so. Scenes. 

They were drawn in a group that included Zenit, Porto and Shakhtar. They finished top of the group. More scenes.

They drew Lyon in the round of 16. 

They lost 1-0 in Lyon.

The team that faced Lyon in Nicosia are heroes, every single one:

• GK: Chiotis (current AEK Athens youth Goalkeeping Coordinator, was at APOEL from 2008 until 2015)

• DEF: Poursaitidis (current Nea Salamina head coach, was at APOEL from 2008 until his retirement from playing in 2012)

• DEF: Oliveira (at APOEL from 2011 to 2014)

• DEF: Paulo Jorge (current Braga B team head coach, was at APOEL from 2009 until 2012)

• DEF: William Boaventura (at APOEL from 2010 until 2012, was forced to retire in 2012 due to an underlying heart condition)

• MID: Nuno Morais (left Chelsea to join APOEL in 2007 and stayed until his retirement from professional football in 2019 and has APOEL’s highest number of appearance for the team, ever)

• MID: Helder Sousa (*shrug)

• MID: Charalambides (was at APOEL from 1998 until 2004 and then 2008 until 2016 and has APOEL’s second highest number of appearances for the team, ever)

• MID: Manduca (at APOEL from 2010 until his retirement from playing in 2015, now is an agent)

• ST: Ailton (at APOEL from 2010 until 2012 and retired last season playing for Orgyte in Sweden)

• ST: Solari (at APOEL from 2005 until 2007 and then 2010 until 2013)

Lyon had a team which included Hugo Lloris, Aly Cissokho, Kim Kallstrom, Alexandre Lacazette and Bafetimbi Gomis and were managed by Remi Garde. 

Gustavo Manduca scored in the 9th minute to equalise the game on aggregate. He took his shirt off swinging it wildly in the air and ran towards the Orange crowd in the stands screaming and getting himself a yellow card for his troubles. The goal itself was a great team move starting with a great chipped pass from Oliveira from near the half way line to Ailton on the edge of the 16 yard box, who controlled it expertly for Charalambides. The cross from him evaded the two Lyon defenders and Manduca had a fairly straightforward tap-in, with Lloris looking in the completely wrong direction.

The game went into extra time and in the 115th minute, Manduca was sent off for a second yellow card.

The game went to penalties. Lyon scored their first penalty then Ailton scored. 1-1.

Lisandro Lopez stepped up for his penalty. Which hit the post. Then hit the back of Chiotis’ outstretched hand and went in. 1-2.

Morais absolutely blasted the ball in. 2-2. Then Lyon and APOEL score their penalties. 3-3. Lacazette steps forward with a well taken penalty. But Chiotis is equal to it and is able to get a strong hand to push it away. Scenes. Lacazette buried his head in his shirt while almost everyone else around him took their shirts off and waved them around. 

Trickovski buried his penalty. 4-3. The next Lyon penalty was taken, and the rest is history. Chiotis, pushed that fateful shot away from the goal. Limbs. So many limbs.

Chiotis was raised not only to hero or legend status. He took his seat on Mount Olympus that night.

APOEL fans sorted him out with a pretty tricked out throne room.

Photo by Gu Bra: https://www.pexels.com/photo/throne-in-an-ornate-interior-of-a-church-7224522/