APOEL stay alive with draw away to Qarabag
UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - GROUP A (MATCHDAY 3)
APOEL came away with a 2-2 draw away to Qarabag in Thursday’s UEFA Europa League action to stay alive for a second-place finish in Group A.
Watch LIVE GREEK TV including full GREEK SPORTS coverage with Go Greek TV!
APOEL visited Azerbaijan and the “Tofiq Bahramov” for a second time this season to face Group rivals Qarabag in the UEFA Europa League. In their last visit in August, it was Thomas Doll’s first game in charge and they recorded a big 2:0 win to march on to the next round of UEFA Champions League qualifying.
Just like their first matchup earlier in the season, the stakes were high with APOEL earning a rather important 2:2 draw on the road. An early goal by Dani Quintana gave the lead to the hosts before the quarter-hour mark, but APOEL turned the game around before half-time with goals from Nikolas Ioannou and Linus Hallenius. Another early goal from Qarabag, this time in the second half, from Ailton formed the final 2:2 scoreline.
The draw keeps APOEL alive in the group as a win against Qarabag at home on matchday four can put them in pole position to secure second place in Group A. The Cypriot champions are bottom of the table with just one point while Qarabag are in second with four points.
In the group’s other match, Sevilla maintained their perfect record with a 3-0 win over Dudelange and sit in first place while the Luxembourg champions are third with three points.
THE GAME
After a surprise loss at home to Dudelange and a loss away to a superior Sevilla side, APOEL went to Baku thirsty for points.
Qarabag started strong with the help of the home crowd as APOEL focused on defending. A wrong pass from Vujadin Savic to Savvas Gentsoglou became an easy giveaway for Qarabag, the ball reached Dani Quintana who beat Vid Belec in the 13th minute to open the scoring. The hosts kept pressing for another goal and in the 24th minute, Maksim Medvedev had a good effort but Belec was up to the task to deny the goal.
Despite Qarabag’s pressure, APOEL were the team that struck next. A beautiful set piece from the right by Uros Matic was won in the air by captain Nikolas Ioannou and with Medvedev’s help, the ball went into Asmir Begovic’s net. The goal counted with UEFA awarding it as an own goal.
APOEL did not hold back and in the dying moments of the first half, Linus Hallenius took advantage of a defensive mistake to steal the ball, beating Begovic to put APOEL in front.
Qarabag once again started strong after the restart looking to level things up as soon as possible. Ailton sent a warning in the 57th minute with a long effort forcing Belece to a big save. A minute later, Quintana sent the ball from the right side and Ailton beat everybody in the air to head the ball into Belec’s net for the equalizer.
APOEL almost answered back in the 70th minute, however after a corner kick by Matic, a difficult header from Lucas Souza went just inches wide of Begovic’s left post. Four minutes later, it was Qarabag’s turn to threaten with a strong shot by Medvedev that shaved past Belec’s right post. In the 87th minute, a great set piece from Quintana found Mahir Emreli in a perfect spot, but his header went just wide.
APOEL held on to grab their first point in the Europa League group stages and will have all to play for in their return match in Nicosia in two weeks’ time.
LINEUPS
Qarabaq FK (Gurban Gurbanov): Asmir Begovic (GK), Gara Garayev, Ailton, Maksim Medvedev, Rashad Sadygov (C), Michel, Badavi Huseynov, Dani Quintana, Abdellah Zoubir, Richard Almeida, Magaye Gueye
APOEL FC (Thomas Doll): Vid Belec (GK), Giorgos Merkis, Vujadin Savic, Nikolas Ioannou (C), Praxitelis Vouros, Savvas Gentsoglou, Lucas Souza, Uros Matic, Dragan Mihajlovic, Linus Hallenius, Andrija Pavlovic
GROUP A STANDINGS
Sevilla 9 pts
Qarabag 4 pts
Dudelange 3 pts
APOEL 1 pt
HIGHLIGHTS
