Apoel Nicosie, weakest team to make the 1/8 of CL ?

I am speaking about football skills.

They had one single shot in the whole match. At the 87th minute.

19 shots to 1. 63% of possession, we totally dominated but were so innacurate. Missed a lot of opportunities, with some desperate defending from Nicosie as well.

Anyway, thanks for Lacazette for unlocking the situation. 1-0 is a big lead against such a team.

which group were they in???

halamadrid2 wrote:which group were they in???

Man U's

no they werent

it was Basel, Othello Galactico and Benfica

was it Portos??? cant remember all i remember is that the y knocked a big team out

halamadrid2 wrote:which group were they in???

With Porto Zenith and Donestk. They finished first.

Our group.

They aren't that good.

so youll get eliminated by the weakest team of the last 16

and they were in a group with zenit,shakhtar and porto

and 1-0 its not a big lead btw

deadrave wrote:so youll get eliminated by the weakest team of the last 16

and they were in a group with zenit,shakhtar and porto

and 1-0 its not a big lead btw

We won't get eliminated. They don't even try to score.

Cissokho had nothing to do as they did not have the ball and lost it very quickly when they had.

APOEL were dominated by Shakhtar, Zenit and Porto too, yet still managed to get relatively good results against them.

Today wasn't their day and unfortunately, they were punished for poor defending. Happens to all teams.

I do not consider them weak in the least.

Well they were expected to finish 4th in their group. No matter what happens here they should go home with their heads held high. To answer your question from the teams I have seen I think they are the weakest I have seen.

They got their place in this stage from parking the bus even at home and relying on set peices and the odd counter.

Talent wise, they are the weakest team. But talent isnt what got them to this stage in the first place.

McLewis wrote:APOEL were dominated by Shakhtar, Zenit and Porto too, yet still managed to get relatively good results against them.

Today wasn't their day and unfortunately, they were punished for poor defending. Happens to all teams.

I do not consider them weak in the least.

What are they good at? Because, frankly, I did not see it today. They had only one attempt at scoring a goal and it was toward the end of the match.

They were not specially good at defending, there were good saves, but there were also bad misses from our attackers. It was the kind of match where you feel 2-3 more goals could have easily been scored. it did not though, but that's not really a testament for their defence.

They forwards did not exist and their midfield was outclassed, they were losing the ball very quickly. That's the only team that make us look like Barcelona this season, with Zagreb.

1-0 is nothing. Given that most expected them to be eliminated in the group stages, they've done alright.

Time to go to Cyprus and wrap this up

The Franchise wrote:They got their place in this stage from parking the bus even at home and relying on set peices and the odd counter.

Talent wise, they are the weakest team. But talent isnt what got them to this stage in the first place.

Yes, you have to be impressed by what they achieved with so little football skills. It shows that will, fighting spirit and other values like that are still relevant in today football.

However, they are weaker than Basel or other small teams that I have seen previously in 1/8.

OLpower wrote:

McLewis wrote:APOEL were dominated by Shakhtar, Zenit and Porto too, yet still managed to get relatively good results against them.

Today wasn't their day and unfortunately, they were punished for poor defending. Happens to all teams.

I do not consider them weak in the least.

What are they good at? Because, frankly, I did not see it today. They had only one attempt at scoring a goal and it was toward the end of the match.

They were not specially good at defending, there were good saves, but there were also bad misses from our attackers. It was the kind of match where you feel 2-3 more goals could have easily been scored. it did not though, but that's not really a testament for their defence.

They forwards did not exist and their midfield was outclassed, they were losing the ball very quickly. That's the only team that make us look like Barcelona this season, with Zagreb.

Never said they were "good". Just said they've managed to get "good" results against superior teams.They may not have defended well today, but they sure as hell did a fine job in the group stages to get to where they are now. The minnows of the tournament traditionally park the bus against more fancied sides.

Why you were expecting anything different here, I really don't know.

Skill is only half the story of playing football. Strict discipline and mental strength complete the package. City are a glaring example. All the skill in the world, but mental midgets when it comes to the CL

McLewis wrote:

OLpower wrote:

McLewis wrote:APOEL were dominated by Shakhtar, Zenit and Porto too, yet still managed to get relatively good results against them.

Today wasn't their day and unfortunately, they were punished for poor defending. Happens to all teams.

I do not consider them weak in the least.

What are they good at? Because, frankly, I did not see it today. They had only one attempt at scoring a goal and it was toward the end of the match.

They were not specially good at defending, there were good saves, but there were also bad misses from our attackers. It was the kind of match where you feel 2-3 more goals could have easily been scored. it did not though, but that's not really a testament for their defence.

They forwards did not exist and their midfield was outclassed, they were losing the ball very quickly. That's the only team that make us look like Barcelona this season, with Zagreb.

Never said they were "good". Just said they've managed to get "good" results against superior teams. Says nothing about their ability as a team. The minnows of the tournament traditionally park the bus against more fancied sides.

Why you were expecting anything different here, I really don't know.

I did not expect them to play great, but it felt like they did not play at all. Maybe they will try more at home, because this time they will have to.

OLpower wrote:

McLewis wrote:

OLpower wrote:

McLewis wrote:APOEL were dominated by Shakhtar, Zenit and Porto too, yet still managed to get relatively good results against them.

Today wasn't their day and unfortunately, they were punished for poor defending. Happens to all teams.

I do not consider them weak in the least.

What are they good at? Because, frankly, I did not see it today. They had only one attempt at scoring a goal and it was toward the end of the match.

They were not specially good at defending, there were good saves, but there were also bad misses from our attackers. It was the kind of match where you feel 2-3 more goals could have easily been scored. it did not though, but that's not really a testament for their defence.

They forwards did not exist and their midfield was outclassed, they were losing the ball very quickly. That's the only team that make us look like Barcelona this season, with Zagreb.

Never said they were "good". Just said they've managed to get "good" results against superior teams. Says nothing about their ability as a team. The minnows of the tournament traditionally park the bus against more fancied sides.

Why you were expecting anything different here, I really don't know.

I did not expect them to play great, but it felt like they did not play at all. Maybe they will try more at home, because this time they will have to.

Believe me, if they had "played at all"...you guys would've ran up a cricket score on them like you did Zagreb.

As I said, perfectly normal for a smaller side to go into that shell and just defend for their lives whilst almost never attacking. It's not the best football, but it's how they survive in this comp.

McLewis wrote:

OLpower wrote:

McLewis wrote:

OLpower wrote:

McLewis wrote:APOEL were dominated by Shakhtar, Zenit and Porto too, yet still managed to get relatively good results against them.

Today wasn't their day and unfortunately, they were punished for poor defending. Happens to all teams.

I do not consider them weak in the least.

What are they good at? Because, frankly, I did not see it today. They had only one attempt at scoring a goal and it was toward the end of the match.

They were not specially good at defending, there were good saves, but there were also bad misses from our attackers. It was the kind of match where you feel 2-3 more goals could have easily been scored. it did not though, but that's not really a testament for their defence.

They forwards did not exist and their midfield was outclassed, they were losing the ball very quickly. That's the only team that make us look like Barcelona this season, with Zagreb.

Never said they were "good". Just said they've managed to get "good" results against superior teams. Says nothing about their ability as a team. The minnows of the tournament traditionally park the bus against more fancied sides.

Why you were expecting anything different here, I really don't know.

I did not expect them to play great, but it felt like they did not play at all. Maybe they will try more at home, because this time they will have to.

Believe me, if they had "played at all"...you guys would've ran up a cricket score on them like you did Zagreb.

As I said, perfectly normal for a smaller side to go into that shell and just defend for their lives whilst almost never attacking. It's not the best football, but it's how they survive in this comp.

By not playing I did not meant they were not trying, because it was very obvious they did their best with some attempt at defend. But I made this thread because I was suprised that such a team won their group in CL.

Really, we are not really good this year, we are average, quite weak at CL level, but we felt like Barcelona against them. So I asked if it already happenned.

Lacazette

OLpower wrote:

McLewis wrote:APOEL were dominated by Shakhtar, Zenit and Porto too, yet still managed to get relatively good results against them.

Today wasn't their day and unfortunately, they were punished for poor defending. Happens to all teams.

I do not consider them weak in the least.

What are they good at? Because, frankly, I did not see it today. They had only one attempt at scoring a goal and it was toward the end of the match.

They were not specially good at defending, there were good saves, but there were also bad misses from our attackers. It was the kind of match where you feel 2-3 more goals could have easily been scored. it did not though, but that's not really a testament for their defence.

They forwards did not exist and their midfield was outclassed, they were losing the ball very quickly. That's the only team that make us look like Barcelona this season, with Zagreb.

they have passion and that sometimes is just enough

Got further than United and City, so they must be doing something right

RealGunner wrote:Lacazette

Almost our best attacling player right now, his 7th goal of the season, the 5th in 2012. He is getting better and better, even playing as a winger when he is more an axial striker.

APOEL to win in Cyprus