COMMENT
By Enis Koylu
If you are looking for a romantic story for Valentine's Day, then you need not look any further than the Uefa Champions League to provide one: APOEL take on Olympique Lyonnais in the round of 16, becoming the first Cypriot team to reach this stage of the competition.
APOEL's progress out of the group phase would be a huge achievement for any side from a small footballing country like Cyprus, but the adversity that Ivan Jovanovic's men have faced has been astounding.
They looked destined to not even qualify for the competition, only to score a late goal against Wisla Krakow in the second leg of the play-offs to record a 3-2 aggregate win.
When the draw for the group stage was made, you could be forgiven for assuming that APOEL did not have a prayer with the likes of last season's quarter-finalists Shakhtar Donetsk and Europa League holders Porto for company.
To compound issues, Christos Kontis, a defensive stalwart with considerable experience in mainland Greece, suffered a heart-attack during a league match with AEK Larnaca, forcing him to retire early.
The path to the knockout stages was equally rocky. The Cypriots matched plucky draws in all three away fixtures with unlikely, spirited comebacks at home to Zenit St. Petersburg and Porto.
For football fans and APOEL's players alike, it all seemed a little beyond comprehension.
"We're living in a dream. Everybody's living in a dream," mused Brazilian striker Ailton, who led his team's charge to the knockout phase with five goals.
Footballer's fantasy | Ailton can scarcely believe his club's achievements
The 27-year-old became the club's record signing when he moved to Nicosia in 2010 from FC Copenhagen for a fee of just €1 million.
It's a far cry from their French opponents, who, despite being modest spenders in the grand scheme of football, have readily parted with €15m or more on the likes of Ederson, Michel Bastos and Yoann Gourcuff in recent years.
What's more, Ailton's signing was a rare extravagance for APOEL. Their most recent acquisition, Helder Sousa, was snapped up for the paltry sum reported to be €90,000 - a figure that wouldn't come close to paying Cristiano Ronaldo's weekly wage.
The club's frugal finances are matched by a miniscule stature as a club. They only became a public limited company in 1997. The likes of Arsenal achieved similar status over a century before.
Their 23,000-seater GSP stadium was opened a little over a decade ago, and the team are forced to share it with two other tenants. Lyon were recently granted planning permission for a facility with almost three-times that capacity that they will have sole use of.
However, the Champions League run is set to be as lucrative as it is incredible for APOEL. The club operates on an annual budget of around €10m, but thanks to their continued participation in the tournament, they have already pocketed more than that.
If you are looking for a romantic story for Valentine's Day, then look no further than the Champions League and APOEL |
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This is not the first time that Europe's premier club competition has proved a valuable source of income to the Cypriots.
A debt-crippled APOEL were eliminated from the 2009-10 edition without a victory, but the revenue they earned just for participating gave the club an opportunity to pay off their deficits and bring in new players.
The revamped squad never looked back, storming to a convincing title victory last season, finishing 11 points ahead of their nearest rivals, before easing to top spot in their Champions League group this term with a game to spare.
"This is, for me, a miracle. This is the greatest night in the history of the club. I never imagined that this success would happen when I arrived in Cyprus," said midfielder Gustavo Manduca upon qualifying from the group.
There has been something miraculous about APOEL's ascent into the latter stages of the Champions League, but for club president Phivos Erotokritou, the run has all been of their own doing.
"We are a small team from a small country, but we moved forward step by step. Luck doesn't come by itself. You have to create your own luck."
Whatever formula APOEL have been using to produce such good fortune, it is certainly one that a number of clubs would want at their disposal. Would anyone rule out a shock against Lyon?
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