NICOSIA - Cypriot Champions League hopefuls APOEL will travel to Lyon for their historical Last 16 clash in confident mood after defeating Ethnikos Achnas 2-1 in the domestic league on Friday night.
The win sent them temporarily top of the standings – level on points with Omonia who are still to play AEK Larnaca.
The Nicosia club picked up their third victory in their last six games courtesy of a brace from skipper Constantinos Charalambides – who now moved joint top scorer for the club this season along with Esteban Solari on seven goals. The Cypriot international – who provided two assists for APOEL during their Group G campaign in Europe – scored both goals in the first half. The first goal came after a good pass from Savvas Poursaitides with the second arriving just after halftime when he met Nektarios Alexandrou’s teasing cross with a header. Elias Vattis scored ten minutes from time – after a scramble in the APOEL area - to set up a tense finish and the Nicosia club could have been punished had Eduardo Pincelli, Edward Mashinya and Vattis not been wasteful in front of goal with only Chiotis to beat in the dying minutes.
APOEL boss Ivan Jovanovic was forced to move midfielder Nuno Morais into a central defensive role with both Marcelo Oliveira and Paulo Jorge missing through injuries. Jovanovic was also missing another defender William Boaventura through a yellow card suspension meaning that Kaka and Alexandrou were both brought in for cover. The absence of APOEL’s normal back-line showed in the final moments of the match when they conceded late on and then were lucky not to concede even more.
Brazilian striker Ailton made his first start since returning to action after undergoing a hernia operation, although he did make an appearance as a substitute last weekend, and looked a threat to the Ethnikos defence despite not getting on the score-sheet. Manduca, who also underwent an operation recently, came on as a second half substitute in place of Aílton.