APOEL coach Ivan Jovanovic believes his side can continue their impressive Champions League form as they sit proudly top of Group G following another excellent result away to Shaktar Donetsk on Wednesday.
After collecting their first victory in the Champions League Group Stage in the opening match against Zenit St Petersburg in Nicosia, the Cypriot champions held experienced European campaigners Shakhtar to a battling 1-1 draw on Wednesday night to move a point clear of Porto at the top of the pile.
“We would like to win all our games until the end, but this does not always depend on our own performances. We will put the group standings into a frame because it is probably surprising for everyone,” Jovanovic said.
Asked whether there was a genuine opportunity of qualification from the group, while not getting carried away, Jovanovic did not rule out APOEL causing what would be a major shock in the competition.
“The group is looking beautiful for us right now. I hope we can stay there but our targets remain the same. We have four more difficult games and like I have always said, we need to be patient and composed,” he said.
APOEL have got their fans used to dominant displays of possession even away from home in the Champions League this season, but against the 11th best team in Europe renown for their passing game and attacking flair, the Nicosia side was on the back foot for much of the game.
“The game was very tough, as I had predicted. We competed against a well-organised side but we had scoring chances, though we weren’t able to take them. As for APOEL, they created a goal with their first counterattack,” Shakhtar coach Mircea Lucescu said.
With goalkeeper Dionisis Chiotis, who recently received a call up to the Greek national squad for his impressive performances with APOEL, in inspired form, and with Shakhtar misfiring, the visitors went ahead against the run of play through Ivan Trickovski just after the hour mark. The lead was short-lived however, as Jadson pulled the hosts level, punishing APOEL for a momentary lack of concentration at the back. The Cypriot champions managed to further frustrate Shakhtar in the last 20 minutes and created a few opportunities of their own to win the match as they held on for another amazing Champions League result.
“Everybody was celebrating this result in the dressing room. This point is crucial and I believe we have made Cyprus proud and at the same time made all of Europe take notice,” APOEL’s most experienced European player Constantinos Charalambides said.
