Poor performance but advantage to APOEL
Poor performance but advantage to APOEL
APOEL’s first game of the new season for Champions League qualifying (2nd round) was quite unconvincing as the Galazokitrini will take only a slight 1-0 advantage over Dudelange before next week’s 2nd leg match in Luxemburg.
Shockingly, in the opening 20 minutes of the game, there was only one team on the pitch and that was Dudelange. The champions of Luxemburg did not fancy themselves as the outsiders as they put heavy pressure on the APOEL goal. The hosts managed to balance out the game after newcomer Australian winger Tommy Oar hit the visitors’ post with a left footed rocket. However, a poor first half from the hosts created a lot of murmuring and complaining in the stands of the GSP stadium.
Like the first half, the visitors started the second half as the better side, looking for an all-important away goal and they came close on two occasions. Again, APOEL survived the scare and began to control the rhythm of the game and it was Bertoglio who scored the winner for the hosts in 71st minute, giving the Cypriot champions a slight 1-0 advantage before next week’s second leg in Luxembourg
After the match Dudelange’s coach and players stated that they were the better side and will fight to qualify to the next round, meaning a closely-contested second leg is expected next Wednesday.
HIGHLIGHTS: APOEL - DUDELANGE
by: Marios Antoniou
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