APOEL in Dreamland

Despite being completely outplayed in the first leg, APOEL Nicosia was in great spirits ahead of hosting the return leg against Lyon—even though they were trailing 1-0 on aggregate. The Cypriots are known for their defensive style of play, while Les Gones have found it difficult to score in Europe this season, making their encounter on Wednesday an epic battle with zero room for error.

Unfortunately for the visitors, they ended up conceding early and forced to play 120 minutes of football, before losing 4-3 in penalties, as the Cypriots continue to defy the odds.

APOEL enjoyed a dream start within ten minutes of the opening whistle; Gustavo Manduca did well to get on the other end of Constantinos Charalambides' cross and scored his third goal of the competition, giving the Cypriots the early lead. Ivan Jovanovic definitely ditched his usual defensive tactics for a more direct approach and it paid off, Lyon were pinned back in their own end right from the start and looked extremely nervous after conceding.

The defending champions of Cyprus had already made history getting this far, their achievements have been quite remarkable and were the talk of Nicosia. The GSP Stadium has only witnessed one loss in their last ten European matches, giving the hosts a slight edge considering how poor Lyon have been away from home this season. The atmosphere was electric, with the locals so eager in their anticipation of the match—one took it to the extreme by breaking into the stadium overnight and digging up a patch of grass for a souvenir.

It is astonishing the hosts made it this far when you put into perspective their inability to threaten their opponents goal—six goals in seven matches with only 39 total shot attempts (worst in the tournament), before breaking their jinx early in the match. Surprisingly, APOEL were the aggressors, gaining momentum from every pass completed. Lyon were rattled for most of the match, but settled down towards the end of the first half. For the neutral, it was the best start possible because it guaranteed an entertaining match with both sides having to chase for the crucial goal needed to advance.

Lyon had the majority of the possession but once again found goals hard to come by, although Dionisis Chiotis deserves the bulk of the credit for keeping the visitors off the score-sheet. The Greek goalkeeper had the performance of his life, making five saves in 120 minutes of football and back-to-back stops in the penalty shootout which put his team into the quarterfinals.

The miraculous victory ended the club’s losing streak against French opposition in Europe, which saw them losers of their previous three matches. However, Lyon continued their slide away from home in the Champions League—now nine matches without a win in the knock-out rounds. 

Did Lyon's strikers finally find their form?

This was the biggest problem facing Les Gones coming into the match, and they failed miserably. Lisandro Lopez managed just one shot on goal despite playing 120 minutes, and Bafetimbi Gomis did the same after being brought on as a substitute in the 73rd minute. The majority of the teams opportunities came from the midfield, with Michel Bastos having the most attempts overall, followed by Maxime Gonalons. Lyon simply could not get it done offensively, the space was there to be exposed with APOEL refusing to sit back and rely on the counter attack. Ederson did test Chiotis early in the first half with a curling free kick that almost floated over the keeper, but the chances were few and far between. To make matters worse for the forwards, Alexandre Lacazette was the first to miss from the spot. Remi Garde is now left with the difficult task of trying to pick up the pieces of a shattered season with strikers who cannot score goals.

Did APOEL change their defensive tactics?

Ivan Jovanovic did a complete 180 tactically, and took the match to Lyon right from the start. It was a wonderful change from the lifeless performance in the first leg. The Cypriot side’s confidence was at an all-time high, surging forward and playing in a style that was previously absent. APOEL did what was needed to stretch the match, with the visitors finally buckling under the immense pressure. Charalambides deserves much of the credit for being a constant threat down the right side—born and raised in Nicosia, the victory was obviously extra special for the midfielder.

Who deserved man of the match?

Look no further than the man between the posts, Dionisis Chiotis. The city of Nicosia will be chanting his name after those two epic saves in the shootout. The keeper deserves the spotlight and should bask in the glory of making it into the final eight. If he continues to produce performances like this, APOEL might have to fight off some possible suitors in the summer.