APOEL grab victory from the jaws of defeat
APOEL grab victory from the jaws of defeat
UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - GROUP A (MATCHDAY 4)
Things were looking bleak for APOEL, but in the end, the Galazokitrinoi pulled out a 2-1 win at home to Qarabag in today’s UEFA Europa League action.
Watch LIVE GREEK TV including full GREEK SPORTS coverage with Go Greek TV!
Maksim Medvedev scored early to put the visitors from Azerbaijan ahead, and it looked like that goal would stand up. However, Lucas Souza managed to level the score in the 58th minute, but it wasn’t until the 88th minute that the APOEL captain, Nikolas Ioannou found a late winner.
The result gives APOEL the upper-hand for second place in the group as they sit with four points along with Qarabag. The Cypriot champions hold the head-to-head tiebreaker advantage over Qarabag while Dudelanger sit bottom of the table with three points. Sevilla are first with a perfect 12 points.
THE MATCH
APOEL hosted Qarabag at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia. In just the tenth minute, the visitors struck. Dani Quintana hit a corner that found the head of Maksim Medvedev. Medvedev’s header beat Vid Belec and made it 1-0 for Qarabag.
Qarabag looked for more when Araz Abdullayev crossed in for Medvedev. Belec was beaten again, but mercifully for him, the shot narrowly missed. APOEL came to life when Linus Hallenius had a shot from distance. The strike wasn’t wanting for power, but it was also straight at Asmir Begovic, and the Bosnian veteran tipped it over the bar. Qarabag remained ahead at halftime by a 1-0 margin.
The visitors again looked for an insurance marker, and Belec did very well to deny a close-range effort off the boot of Michel. Then Abdullayev found himself in space, but shanked it wide. Michel then tested Belec again, but Belec again came out on top. Qarabag remained relentless, and Abdellah Zoubir fired a strike, but Belec again came up large, keeping his side in it with a string of saves.
Finally, APOEL showed their appreciation for their goalkeeper. Uros Matic played in a corner that found Lucas Souza, who in space unleashed a diving header that beat Begovic, and leveled the match at 1-1.
Qarabag looked to regain the lead from a corner, Michel found Rashad Sadygov and the APOEL defense was caught out, but luck was on their side as the shot was off target.
Instead, an APOEL corner decided the match in the 88th minute. Matic found Giorgos Efraim, who struck a very nifty, acrobatic volley that deflected off a Qarabag player, and on replay, it showed that Nikolas Ioannou got a slight touch on a ball that was already going in. Ioannou got credit for the goal, and APOEL recorded their first win in this year’s UEFA Europa League group stage, a 2-1 decision at home over Qarabag.
LINEUPS
APOEL(Thomas Doll): 27. Vid Belec(GK), 6. Savvas Gentsoglou(‘60 89. Roman Bezjak), 8. Lucas Souza, 9. Linus Hallenius(‘75 7. Giorgos Efraim), 14. Uros Matic, 20. Andrija Pavlovic, 23. Joaozinho(‘46 Musa Al-Taamari), 29. Praxitelis Vouros, 44. Nikolas Ioannou(Captain), 90. Vujadin Savic, 91. Dragan Mihajlovic
Qarabag(Gurban Gurbanov): 1. Asmir Begovic(GK), 2. Gara Garayev, 3. Ailton, 5. Maksim Medvedev, 7. Araz Abdullayev, 8. Michel(‘83 30. Abbas Huseynov), 10. Dani Quintana(‘16 99. Magaye Gueye, ‘76 9. Jaime Romero), 14. Rashad Sadygov(Captain), 17. Abdellah Zoubir, 20. Richard Almeida, 55. Badavi Huseynov
GROUP A STANDINGS
Sevilla 12 points
APOEL 4 points
Qarabaq 4 points
Dudelange 3 points
by Andreas Mantzas
Image Source: sportfm Cyprus
Thank you for visiting AGONAsport.com, the only English based website for Greek sports fans across the world! Like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter for all the latest news in Greek Sports!