Cyprus ends Greece’s streak with Poyet and Nus (1-0)

Greece and Cyprus are brothers. The same language, the same culture and even the same anthem for a united emotional and fraternal feeling that is ignored by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognized only by Turkey. A meeting -also on the field-, is almost like a friendly state crest of national interest, so they appear even ‘in situ’ on the island just for high class Greek and European basketball like Bartzokas, Sloukas or Papanikolau, from mighty Olympiakos. So the night can only be one of concord and healthy revelry to the chords of the catchy ‘Zorba The Greek’.

The result, smiling for Cyprus, meaningless for Greece, was the only disagreement at the AEK Arena, the home of José Luis Oltro’s AEK Larnaka, which did not take its eyes off the matter. “Cypriot football wants to grow and grow,” warned the former coach of Tenerife, Mallorca and Levante, among others. And in the midst of this growth, Cyprus needs to be reborn in order not to die. The Cypriot team wants a victory after a year and a half without a win to avoid falling into the last category -division D-, of the Nations League. Tzionis gave it to him with a first-half goal against a Greece exempt from obligations after securing promotion to Division B in June with 4 wins out of 4. The first romp in an official match since Gustavo Poyet and his main assistant, the globetrotter Gerard Nus, from Reus.

Greece, to the liking and satisfaction of Poyet and Nus, continued to open up in attacking football after the passing of Van’t Schip, further away from the conservatism of Otto Rehhagel and Fernando Santos who raised the Hellenic team to Euro 2004 and with consecutive qualifications until the 2014 World Cup, Greece’s final presence is a great event, even if that Greek spirit is always inspiring. Of course, Greece now have the offensive fundamentals, moving the ball well from side to side and equipped with plenty of movement to open up space in the positional attack.

But the Greeks lack the courage for a higher verticality or who knows if the desire, which Cyprus has, retreats but prompts bold counterattacks because of the risk of relegation to the last categories of the Nations League, a step back for the bright future that Cypriot football seeks. In a first night on the bench – former Newcastle and Wolves player Temuri Ketsbaia among others, for Nikos Kostenoglou – this new Cyprus showed themselves to be a solid but rambunctious team on the counterattack.

Greece felt a lot of hyperactivity with the constant breaking movements of the Cypriot wingers -Loizou and Sotiriou-, young people of 19 and 21 years old who wanted to march in the night promised to be calm for the Hellenic team. The name that shines brightest in this Cyprus -Kastanos, the midfielder of Salernitana of Serie A-, put a murmur of admiration in the enthusiastic AEK Arena and Tzionis the scream of joy in the 19th minute in one on one against Vlachodimos , lost but was saved two minutes later in a one on one by Loizou after escaping behind Tsimikas.

The superior quality of Greece and the fatigue of Cyprus to counter it was imposed in the second half but was not felt on the scoreboard. The Ketsbaia team knows how to suffer and play, having a line of five defenders -from 4-3-3 to 5-3-2. It was also the first night for Ioannidis -the Panathinaikos striker who made his debut with Poyet-, but it was Panayi in his two interventions, Cyprus, who was relieved of the controversial goal that Fountas did not allow to interpret the referee who eventually intervened with Masouras, offside.

The decision and the defeat hurt Greece but not as much as against whom he looked on a friendly night. Losing is never fun, but after all, if anyone has to disturb their happiness in this Nations League, let it be Cyprus.