The newly enlarged UEFA EURO qualifying was put in place with the stated aim of expanding opportunity. Few, though, expected Cyprus to be one of the teams to seize this fresh chance.
No-one, in fact, gave Charalampos Christodoulou’s side a prayer when the opening matchday took them to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Cyprus were, after all, a seemingly toothless team that had gone 926 consecutive minutes without scoring, a run stretching back to February 2013, and which had finished bottom of their Brazil 2014 qualifying section.
But despite facing a star-studded Bosnian team fresh from their historic FIFA World Cup™ debut, the Cypriots not only ended their drought, but scored twice – and won. That memorable comeback victory ranked as arguably the shock of the opening EURO 2016 qualifiers, and it also bestowed instant celebrity on a hitherto little-known winger.
Dimitris Christofi was responsible for both of his team’s goals, doubling in the space of 28 minutes the goal tally he had accrued over 33 previous caps. It was the high point of the 26-year-old’s career, and indeed of his nation’s recent football history, and his hope now is that it can be surpassed in the weeks and months ahead.
Speaking exclusively to FIFA.com, Christofi said: “That was one of the most important games I have ever played, although my wish is to have more like it in the future. We were up against a very strong team and we knew that. But we also believed in ourselves. We always felt that with that belief, and a little luck, we could win the game.”
Good fortune, and good goalkeeping, did play its part in the final minute when Antonis Giorgallides saved a penalty from the hosts’ Miralem Pjanic. Yet this was a well-earned success built on foundations laid down by Christodoulou, the former AEL Limassol coach who took charge of the struggling national team in January. Key to the team’s revival, says Christofi, has been an emphasis on speed.
Christofi – who idolised Brazil legend Ronaldo as a youngster – is perhaps the speediest of those pacey Cypriot forwards, and his dynamic style has also caught the eye in Switzerland since his move from Omonoia in June of last year. Indeed, while Sion currently languish in the lower reaches of the Swiss Super League table, he is hopeful of improvement – and has no regrets over his choice of club.
“Every step in my career has been important, and moving to Sion – playing in this competitive championship – has definitely helped me to improve. I like Switzerland; life here has many things in common with the life I led in Cyprus. The language was the most difficult thing to get used to, but I’m happy here. It has been a difficult start to the season but I believe that we can recover because Sion has really good players and a president that believes in us.
“With hard work, progress is always possible. My ambition is just to do my best, whether I am wearing the shirt of my club or my national team, and hopefully I can help both to achieve some success in the future.”
The question now for Cyprus, after that stunning opening match win in Bosnia, is: what would constitute success? Although the increased number of finals places up for grabs has raised the question of whether they could be surprise contenders for a spot at France 2016, their coach has been keen to downplay expectations. “Whatever happens,” Christodoulou said, “we remain outsiders.”
Christofi agrees wholeheartedly with that humble approach, and hopes merely that Friday’s match at home to Israel proves as successful as their first. “There are very strong teams in our group and realistically it will be very difficult for Cyprus to get a ticket for EURO 2016. All we can do is take each game separately. At the end, we will see where that has managed to take us.”
