Loss without price for APOEL in Estonia
UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - 2ND QUALIFYING ROUND (LEG 2)
| Flora | 2 - 0 | APOEL |
|---|---|---|
| Kams 32' Poom 37' |
Agg.(2 - 5) |
APOEL were handed a 2:0 defeat in Tallinn at the hands of Flora, however carrying a five goals advantage from last week’s match in Nicosia (5:0), secured their progress to the next round of UEFA Europa League qualifying.
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The Galazokitrinoi started the game strong and in the 12th minute Moussa Al Tamari went past two defenders to give the ball to Guilherme Dellatorre, however Mait Toom impressively denied the opener. Seven minutes later Al Tamari and Zivko Milanov exchanged passes to bring Ghayas Zahid to a shooting position, but once again Toom was up to the task.
Flora eventually gained ground and managed to open the score with their captain Gert Kams, who beat Boy Waterman from a wide position in the 32nd minute. Five minutes later, Flora caught APOEL’s defense out of position and Zakaria Begralishvili’s pass placed Markus Poom face to face with Waterman and the Georgian made no mistake doubling his team’s lead. APOEL’s defensive problems proved costly once again as they went into halftime trailing 2:0, but they housed a three goal lead on aggregate.
The second half started with both teams looking to find a goal and APOEL came close to it in the 52nd minute. Newly arrived Iranian national Reza Ghoochannejad was awarded a penalty kick and APOEL skipper, Nuno Morais, took the spot kick. However, Toom and the goalpost kept APOEL goalless.
Four minutes later, Rauno Alliku was just shy of a touch that would see Waterman pull the ball out his net for a third time in the match. Nonetheless, that was the final threat from the hosts as APOEL comfortably controlled their three goal aggregate advantage. The Cypriot champions remained goalless as Toom stopped efforts from Dellatorre and Reza, while a shot from Tamari went just wide.
Despite the mediocre performance and a defeat from a weaker side, APOEL moved on the next round of UEFA Europa League qualifying with a 5:2 aggregate scoreline. Next week, the Cypriot champions will need to improve their display when they travel to Israel to face tougher opposition in Hapoel Beer Sheva.
HIGHLIGHTS: FLORA - APOEL
