Cypriot champions APOEL made history on Thursday night after beating Greece’s Olympiacos 2-0 to finish top of their Europa League group.
It is the first time that a Cypriot side has reached the knockout stage of the Europa League although APOEL did make history back in 2012 when they stunned the world football world by reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Apart from heading into Monday draw as seeded, Thomas Christiansen’s side will also pocket €1.5m in additional bonuses and earnings after their impressive win over the Greek champions.
During Thursday night’s game, the hosts took the lead when Stathis Aloneftis laid a sublime cross into the path of Pieros Sotirioi who lifted the ball over onrushing keeper Nicola Leali before then forcing defender Manuel da Costa to roll the ball into his net.
Da Costa almost made amends when his header rattled Boy Waterman’s post but APOEL continue to frustrate Olympiacos until Giannis Giannotas – who is on loan at APOEL from Olympiacos – found Nuno Morais who in turn flashed a cross across Leali’s goal where Igor de Camargo was lying in waiting to score.
In the other Group B game, Young Boys beat Astana 3-0 to finish third. APOEL had previously beat Olympiacos 1-0 away as well as Astana 2-1 (at home) and Young Boy 1-0 (at home). Their two defeats came away against Astana (2-1) and Young Boys (3-1).
APOEL will now be seeded in Monday’s draw but could still face potential powerhouses like Manchester United, Villarreal and Borussia Monchengladbach.
There are two pots: the 12 group winners and four best third-ranked teams transferring from the Champions League are seeded. The 12 group runners-up and remaining third-placed UEFA Champions League sides are unseeded.
The games will be played in principle on Thursdays 16 and 23 February at 8pm (Cyprus time) and 10.05pm (Cyprus time), with the exact schedule confirmed after the draw. Seeded teams will be at home in the second leg.
Seeded: Ajax, APOEL, Besiktas*, Fenerbahce, Fiorentina, FC Copenhagen*, Lyon*, Osmanlispor, Roma, Schalke, Shakhtar Donetsk, Sparta Prague, St Etienne, Tottenham*, Zenit
Unseeded: Anderlecht, Astra Giurgiu, AZ, Celta Vigo, Gent, Hapoel Beer-Sheva, Krasnodar, Legia Warsaw*, Ludogorets*, Manchester United, Borussia Monchengladbach*, Olympiacos, PAOK, Rostov*, Villarreal
Also through: Athletic Club, Genk (Genk need a point in their rescheduled game against Sassuolo to finish top of Group F)
