APOEL success the stuff of legend in Cyprus

Following a night of honking horns, flag-waving fans and talk of “the greatest Cypriot team ever”, Nicosia woke up to the improbable truth of APOEL FC’s progress to the last 16.

A noted local pundit called APOEL FC “the greatest Cypriot team ever” as the island’s football fans took to the streets to celebrate Ivan Jovanović’s side’s progress to the UEFA Champions League round of 16.

Cyprus came to a standstill yesterday evening while APOEL’s Group G game at FC Zenit St Petersburg was televised, and after the club earned the 0-0 draw needed to guarantee a top-two finish in the section, the streets of Nicosia teemed with flag-waving fans. Former APOEL player Costas Fasouliotis, now a leading commentator, shared a nation’s enthusiasm. “In my opinion, this is the greatest Cypriot team ever,” he said. “I believe they have what it takes to go beyond the round of 16, provided they finish top of the group.”

The honking of car horns provided a deafening soundtrack to a night of pure joy across the country, with traffic virtually coming to a halt outside APOEL’s headquarters as hundreds of supporters gathered to mark what seemed an impossible achievement. Meanwhile, television coverage of the UEFA Champions League highlights show was interrupted as officials at Larnaca airport announced a change of procedure to allow for throngs of fans to greet the squad as they landed in the early hours of this morning.

“Due to growing reports that many supporters will arrive at the airport to welcome the team back, we would like to announce that APOEL and their delegation will exit the airport via a special gate situated next to the control tower,” said airport spokesman Adamos Aspris. “This is for safety reasons so we can give fans the chance to celebrate their side’s arrival without interrupting airport operations.”

When the late-night revellers finally took to their beds, a relief force was soon in operation with huge numbers of Cypriot children heading to school today wearing APOEL scarves and with playgrounds alive with talk of the club’s astonishing success.

The newspapers have kept the flame burning. Over a picture of captain Constantinos Charalambides embracing team-mate Marios Ilia, sports daily Goal splashed the headline: “Living a dream!” Goal wrote: “The architect of this great triumph, Ivan Jovanović, described this achievement as ‘something fantastic’ and added, ‘We may be a small team in Europe but we have a big heart and are deservedly in the last 16.'”

With Cyprus’s economy closely linked with that of neighbouring Greece, the main news in recent months has been gloomy, so SportDay was happy for the opportunity to celebrate. “Forget about getting an EU bailout,” it beamed. “Here the Legend [APOEL’s nickname] is king!” The more serious Politis newspaper was emblazoned with a picture of the APOEL players over the simple words: “Thank you!”

 

From: http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/newsid=1721948.html

‘This is like a dream’ says APOEL’s Nuno Morais

Gustavo Manduca talked of a “great moment” in the APOEL FC camp following a 2-1 defeat of FC Porto which left Nuno Morais struggling to comprehend the Cypriot side’s status atop Group G.
Shock, joy and amazement were the prevailing emotions in the APOEL FC camp following a dramatic 2-1 Group G victory against FC Porto which places Ivan Jovanović’s men on the cusp of becoming the first Cypriot team to qualify for the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League.

A victory against FC Zenit St Petersburg on matchday four will achieve that feat but for now APOEL are intent on enjoying the moment, with Portuguese midfielder Nuno Morais feeling “like this is a dream” and match-winner Gustavo Manduca reflecting on a “very special feeling” following his decisive 90th-minute strike.

Aílton, APOEL forward
It is a big moment for APOEL and Cyprus. We played great against a very good and big European team and APOEL deserve some credit for today’s victory. It is unbelievable and difficult to imagine we are in this position. We have done very well to get the points [we have] and we deserve to be here. We showed we have quality as a team. The fans are great, really great. I’ve also played against APOEL and these are the most amazing fans I have ever seen. Playing for them makes us feel really good on the pitch.

Gustavo Manduca, APOEL forward
It is a great moment in our lives, for our fans, our people, our team, our players, everybody. It is a very nice moment and one of the best of my life.

I felt a little bit of pain in my adductor muscle and I thought twice before I moved forward [for the goal] since I feared an injury. But took the chance, and that pass was a gift of God for me. They showed that they are among the best fans in the world. During the 90 minutes they pushed, sang and believed, and they made us feel it and showed how important they are for us.

Nuno Morais, APOEL midfielder
What we achieved today is amazing and it was a great performance. We really wanted to win and we showed that. We conceded a goal at the end but we fought back and won. We feel like this is a dream and we are very happy.

Athos Solomou, APOEL defender
When you have such a difficult task against such great players, you do not have a lot to think about, but you need to restrict your opponents and keep them away from your goal so they do not create chances. That is what we tried to do today and we succeeded.

Hulk, Porto forward
We fought until the end. We have to lift our heads. It is frustrating, but that effort is no use now. When you lose you always feel you could have done more, but unfortunately things did not go well for us. The situation is difficult but not impossible. We have to win the next game to see if we can go through the next stage.

João Moutinho, Porto midfielder
It is a sad moment, a moment of disappointment. We came here thinking about a different result; not a defeat and not even a draw – we only wanted a victory. Unfortunately we were not able to achieve that and now we need to think about the next two matches; two matches which we need to win to have hopes of getting through to the next stage of the UEFA Champions League.

From: http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/newsid=1669191.html

APOEL Nicosia FC profile

Formed: 1926
Nickname: Thrylos (Legend)

UEFA club competition honours
• None

Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets) 
• League title: 21 (2011)
• Cypriot Cup: 19 (2008)

History
• The club was founded at a confectionery shop in November 1926, born out of a desire to create a side representing Nicosia’s Greek-Cypriot population. Initially named POEL, they added an A two years later with the creation of a track and field athletics division.

• Within a decade they were Cypriot champions, announcing themselves with a title in the second edition of the top flight, then underlining their early dominance with a further four in a row. APOEL collected another four championships in eight seasons after the Second World War.

• The emergence of AEL Limassol FC, Anorthosis Famagusta FC and especially AC Omonia ended APOEL’s hegemony. The Thrylos added only three more titles over the next 31 seasons and though they became the first Cypriot club to win a European tie in 1963, any kudos vanished when they lost 16-1 to Sporting Clube de Portugal next time out. That UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup second round first-leg loss remains a UEFA club competition record.

• The 1990s brought a returned to prominence for APOEL, a haul of three championships and five cup successes reaching a peak in 1995/96 when they responded to Super Cup disappointment by going through the season unbeaten. The revival continued and, 25 years after losing the status to Omonia, they re-established themselves as Cyprus’ most successful side in 2009.

• It would prove APOEL’s annus mirabilis, as that autumn they defeated FK Partizan and FC København to reach the UEFA Champions League group stage. The foray into unknown European territory brought no repeat of 1963, either, as they twice held Club Atlético de Madrid and drew 2-2 at Chelsea FC. Two years later they booked a return, becoming the first Cypriot side to grace the group stage twice.

Club records
Most appearances: Yiannos Ioannou (371)
Most goals: Yiannos Ioannou (191)
Record victory: APOEL 17-1 Aris Limassol FC (First Division, 4 June 1967)
Record defeat: Sporting Clube de Portugal 16-1 APOEL (UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup (13 November 1963)

From: http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/season=2012/clubs/club=50118/profile/index.html