Apoel through in Europa League after extra time

Apoel needed extra time to beat Kosovan side Gjilani 2-0 in Pristina and progress to the second qualifying round of the Europa League thanks to goals by Efrain and Ndogala.

Coach Marinos Ouzounides made two changes to the team that faced Karmiotissa in their opening game of the season, bringing in de Vincenti and Kloranides for Efraim and Ben Sahar.
The changes seem to work as Apoel got off to a good start pressing high up the field and forcing the home side into giving the ball away frequently.

The Nicosia team almost took the lead in the 11th minute but first Klonarides and then De Vincenti were denied by Gjilani goalkeeper Kolici.

However as the minutes ticked away the Kosovars began to see more of the ball while Apoel’s performance unexpectedly dropped.

Apoel’s only other chance of the half came on the half hour but Lundemo could not divert the ball into the net from close range.

It was apparent that Gjilani were content to go into the break level.

The second half began following the same pattern as the first but this time Apoel were much more threatening, going close on three occasions in the first 15 minutes. Such was their domination that Apoel goalkeeper Silva did not touch the ball in that period.

Apoel were gifted the chance to take the lead in the 78th minute when Israeli referee Frid pointed to the spot despite the foul on Al Taamari being clearly outside the penalty area. However Al Taamari blasted the ball high and wide.

All Gjilani managed in the second half was a long-range effort a minute from the end.
In extra time Apoel continued to press, looking for the goal while it was apparent that Gjilani were playing for a penalty shootout.

Apoel finally broke the deadlock in the 102nd minute when two players who were introduced to add some pace in attack, Ndogala and Efraim, combined with the latter heading into an empty net following Ndogala’s cross.

Three minutes from the end Ndogala raced onto De Vincenti’s through ball to slot under
Kolici for his team’s second killer goal.

Apoel deserved the win against an abviously inferior team but if they are to progress further they will have to improve considerably.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.