Cyprus BXL FC finish regular season with emphatic 0-3 over Czechoslovakia

Cyprus BXL FC ended their regular season games in ideal fashion last night with an imposing 0-3 victory over Czechoslovakia at Diependal. With these three points they secured 5^th place in the standings of the BXL Euroleague in view of the playoffs, which is their highest ever regular season finish since the founding of the club. Their defence is the second best of the league, with only 19 goals in 19 games, and having tallied an impressive 11 wins, 4 draws and just 4 defeats in a long season that started in August. 

Last night they imposed themselves on the game from the word go. Positioned at three-quarters of the pitch, they effectively strangled the Czech/Slovak midfield and poured forward from all directions. Before five minutes they had already marked their first goal, Charalambous stealing the ball on the left, allowing Rossides and Voudouris to combine, the latter releasing Papoutsas on the right with a brilliant through pass that was converted clinically.

Ten minutes later, the Czech/Slovak team still reeling from the pressure, Cyprus won a free kick at the edge of the box, which was curled beautifully into the top corner by Agorakis. The score was 2-0 but the Cypriots were still hungry for more. Chances were coming thick and fast, and Cyprus BXL FC was producing some of the most fluid passing football we have seen all season. They didn’t manage to get more before the half-time whistle, but it was clear that the game was theirs for the taking.

Czechoslovakia managed to claw back some possession early in the second half, and create a couple of good chances, that were met decisively by the Cypriot defence and goalkeeper Gogakis, who, once again this season,  remained cool as a cucumber in the face of danger. Then 15 minutes into the half, it was time for them to shift gear once again, and turning on the pressure against the shaky Czech/Slovak defence, they managed to create numerous chances again, one of them converted in the end by Voudouris after a melee in the opponents' box.

They could have added more to their tally of the night, especially with a penalty that was missed by Leontiou. The final whistle found them celebrating a well-deserved victory over a strong opponent, and a historic 5th-place success for their great efforts this year.

Man of the match for last night goes to Agorakis, who in his fifth appearance for the club proved once again what a fantastic addition he is to the team. He scored with delightful freekick and created countless opportunities for his teammates with his intelligent and unselfish style of play in midfield.

Special mention for last night and for the whole season is reserved to two unsung heroes of the team this year: Stefanos Gogos and Romanos Giangoudakis. Both players did not get a lot of starting-XI chances in the course of the year, but stayed close to the team, worked hard in training and never complained about the time they spent on the bench. Stefanos was simply fantastic as a left back yesterday, stepping in time and time again to destroy potential dangers in the Cyprus defence, but also making a great contribution to the passing game of the team going forward. Romanos, coming in as a sub in the second half, was bursting with positive energy in an attack, and revitalising the team's creative side quite late in the game.

Starting XI: Gogakis, Gogos, Karides, Telemachou, Antonakopoulos, Severis, Agorakis, Papoutsas, Voudouris, Charalambous, Rossides.

Subs: Georgakoudis, Louka, Anastasiou, Giangoudakis, Tsangaris, Leontiou, Trikoutsis. 

Cyprus BXL FC play their first playoff game against Finland on Wednesday May 2 at Ixelles, at 2100.