Apoel great win advance into UEFA Champions League Group Stages

What a great night for Apoel the Cyprus Champions beating the Polish Champions Wisla Krakow  3-1 and 3-2 on aggregate . There was 20,000 spectators packed into the Nicosia GSP Stadium to see the game and the celebrations continued into the streets after the game.

Cypriot APOEL FC beat Poland`s Wisla Krakow with 3-1 in GSP Stadium on Tuesday, achieving a historic qualification to UEFA Champions League group stage, the second in three years.

APOEL, that hosted Wisla for the Champions League play-off second leg match trailing by 1-0, opened the score with an own goal credited to Wisla`s goalkeeper Sergei Pareiko, while the Cypriot team`s striker Ailton Almeida`s goal in the second half shaped the 2-0 lead for APOEL, giving Ivan Jovanovic`s side a spot in the group stage.

However, Wisla`s Cezary Wilk scored in the 71st minute putting the visitors ahead on away goals, but Almeida scored its second goal at the 87th minute, shaping the final 3-1 win for APOEL, which secured a spot to the Champions League group stage draw to be held on Thursday August 25.

APOEL (Ivan Jovanovic): Hiotis, Kontis, Paul Georges, Poursaitidis, Boaventoura (85 ‘Alexandrou), Morais, Pinto, Triskofski, Manduca (85′ Charalambides) Marsinio (90 +2’ Giachits), Ailton. 
On the bench: Jay, Oliveira, Satsias, Solomou.

In the other games

Bayern Munich made sure of their place in the UEFA Champions League group stages with a 1-0 win at FC Zurich on Wednesday, completing a 3-0 aggregate play-off victory.

Mario Gomez scored the only goal of the second leg in the seventh minute as the Bavarians, who put themselves in the driving seat last week with goals from Bastian Schweinsteiger and Arjen Robben, advanced with minimum fuss.

Holland winger Robben was an unused substitute in Switzerland after having suffered a recurrence of his recent back problem.

Villarreal had a more difficult task on their hands this evening, heading into their encounter against Odense 1-0 down, but a convincing 3-0 win at El Madrigal saw them turn things around.

Giuseppe Rossi netted twice in the first half of the second half to get the Yellow Submarine in the ascendancy following last week’s shock defeat in Denmark, and substitute Carlos Marchena rounded off the scoring eight minutes from time.

Both teams ended the match with 10 men, Odense’s Bashkim Kadrii dismissed in the 70th minute for a second bookable offence and Borja Valero seeing red six minutes later to even up the numbers.

Second-half goals from Wilton Figueiredo and Pontus Jansson were not enough for Malmo, who won 2-0 on the night against Dinamo Zagreb but lost 4-3 on aggregate.

Dinamo’s cause was not helped by the dismissal of teenage defender Sime Vrsaljko five minutes into the second half, but the Croatian side held on.

Israeli side Maccabi Haifa took a 2-1 advantage to Belgium for their tie with Genk but soon find themselves behind by the same score.

Goals from Thomas Buffell and Jelle Vossen either side of a Eyal Golsa strike levelled the tie on aggregate at the break.Both the second half and 30 minutes of extra time couldn’t find another goal so the game went all the way to penalties.

There Vladimir Dvalishvili and Golsa saw their spot-kicks saved by Genk goalkeeper Laszlo Koteles to send the Jupiler Pro League side through 4-1 in the shoot-out.