Cyprus under-17s boss Renos Demetriades says his side’s historic win over Germany on Tuesday night shows the potential his players have for the future of local football.
Grigoris Kastanos struck the only goal of the game at the South Street Stadium in Bad Pyrmont with a free-kick just before halftime. It gave Cyprus their first ever victory over Germany at any level and the perfect springboard, according to Demetriades, for the future of the national side as Cyprus’ senior team continues to stutter on the international stage.
“This is a massive win which will help us a lot for the future,” the former Olympiakos Nicosia boss told the Cyprus Football Association’s (CFA) official website.
“This win will breathe confidence into our young players which will help them to believe in their abilities and prospects for the future. This game may have been a friendly but when you run onto the pitch that means very little. And with over 3,000 German fans cheering on their team, this was anything but a friendly. This was a great experience for all of us.”
Cyprus were unlucky to have not reached the Elite Round of the UEFA European Under-17 Championship back in September after narrowly missing out in their qualifying group in Paphos. A 4-2 defeat in their first game against Norway – in which keeper Takis Panagiotou was guilty of three dreadful errors – saw the island finish third despite a narrow 1-0 defeat to Spain followed by a convincing 2-0 victory over Moldova in their final group game.
“We need to ensure that we build on this achievement. We still have some time before the next qualifiers. The first test has obviously been a positive one and this win will help us in every way. But we need to make sure that we build on this win.”
In the last couple of years, the CFA has been putting greater emphasis on the youth sides with the island’s senior national side recording on average one victory per year since 2009. Cyprus have since plummeted down the FIFA rankings unlike the under-17s, under-19s and under-21s that have been consistently been securing impressive results on the international stage.

CYPRUS (Renos Demitriades Manager ): Michael, Krstic, Pileas (80′ Silvestros), Artymatas, Kallis, A. Neophitou (66′ Konne), M. Charalambous, A. Hapeshis, Kastanos (80′ Gregoriou), Macrides (41′ Panaretou), Matthaiou (77′ Fiakas).

Cyprus Weekly