APOEL will face nine-time European champions Real Madrid with immense pride tomorrow night, as their remarkable 16-match Champions League campaign is set to come to a close at the Bernabeu.
APOEL’s resistance in the first leg of the quarter-final in Nicosia last week lasted more than 70 minutes and at one stage it even looked like the competition surprise package might go to Madrid still in with a chance, however Ivan Jovanovic’s side have an insurmountable task as they trail 3-0 from the first leg thanks to a late flurry from the Spanish giants.
While the chance of a semi-final berth for a team that has become the talk of Europe this season, thanks to their spirited displays and underdog credentials against formidable opponents, is all but officially over, APOEL will relish an appearance at the Bernabeu against one of the greats of the global game, as the final act of their remarkable European campaign.
“Madrid are in the semi-finals, there’s no question about that,” said APOEL’s Serbian tactician Ivan Jovanovic, who has fast become the club’s most successful ever coach thanks to his exploits in Europe in his four years in charge.
“The second leg will be harder (than the game in Nicosia). We need to try and exit the competition in the best possible fashion. Our campaign will forever be written in gold in the history of not just our club but Cypriot football also.”
APOEL became the unlikeliest quarter-finalists after beating Lyon on penalties in a thrilling tie in the last 16, this in addition to topping a group featuring the moneyed trio of Zenit St Petersburg, Shakhtar Donetsk and two-time European champions FC Porto.
But a Real Madrid side in devastating form this season – Jose Mourinho’s men have scored 100 league goals in 30 La Liga matches as well as 27 in their nine Champions League games – proved a step too far for the Cypriot team with an annual budget of €10 million, less than what Real Madrid’s top earner Cristiano Ronaldo gets in a year.
Ignoring the enormity of the financial mismatch between the two clubs that was the focus of most of the pre-match debate before the first leg, the contrast between the experience of Real Madrid and APOEL is equally remarkable.
Playing in the Champions League for only the second time, and the first time they have ever featured in the knockout phase, APOEL face a Real Madrid team competing in its 29th quarter-final, more than any other side in Europe’s premier club competition.
Despite the gap in quality and European experience between the two that was evident in the first leg, as APOEL failed to muster a single attempt on goal in front of their own fans, Real were very professional in their performance and showed no signs of underestimating the opposition.
The often outspoken Real coach Jose Mourinho, who stayed on the pitch to shake hands with every APOEL player after the final whistle, spoke of making sure that the minnows would get the respect they deserve for their remarkable campaign when they visited the Bernabeu.
“I think APOEL are doing a fantastic job. I would like to show them as much respect at the Bernabeu because they are the most important team in this Champions League; any of the other seven teams are pursuing something they’ve achieved before, but APOEL have never won the title,” he said.
APOEL’s entire 23-man squad has travelled to Madrid, but winger Ivan Trickovski and centre-back Marcelo Oliveria are not expected to feature after picking up injuries in the first leg.
