Pafos FC pull off Champions League giant-killing over Villarreal
Cypriot champions Pafos FC pulled off an unlikely Champions League giant-killing on Wednesday night, beating Spanish outfit and former Europa League winners Villarreal 1-0 at Limassol’s Alphamega Stadium.
Dutch centre-half Derrick Luckassen scored the game’s only goal, rising highest to nod a Ken Sema corner into Villarreal’s net and send the almost 8,000 Paphites packed into the Alphamega Stadium into pandemonium in the first minute of the second half.
The victory is Pafos FC’s first in the Champions League proper and is the first time any Cypriot team has beaten Spanish opposition in Europe’s premier competition.
President Nikos Christodoulides was in attendance to see his hometown club take their first three points in the Champions League, but missed the goal, having not yet returned to his seat from a half-time refreshment break when Luckassen notched the winner.
Villarreal had their chances to win the game, peppering Neofytos Michail’s net with 18 shots, but were wasteful in front of goal, while the Cypriot side defended resolutely and took advantage of their set-piece prowess to see them through the night.
The victory moved Pafos FC up to 19th in the league phase table at full time – within the qualifying spots for the knockout phase playoff. If they can remain within the top 24 at the end of the league phase, they will see their Champions League adventure extend into February next year.
Wednesday’s result also sees the Cypriot side rubbing shoulders in the league table with some of European football’s biggest names, with five points from their opening four fixtures putting them level on points with 1988 champions PSV Eindhoven and 2004 finalists AS Monaco, whom they will face next.
They also sit above Italian champions Napoli, twice winners Juventus, and four-time winners Ajax in the table.
For Villarreal, defeat in Cyprus is the latest episode in a stuttering European campaign, which has left them in 32nd place in the 36-team league phase, with just a solitary point to show for their efforts thus far.
Pafos FC will hope to continue their European form into the league, with a tricky fixture away at Anorthosis up next for them on Sunday.
They will then return to action after the international break with a home fixture against Aris Limassol on November 21, before returning to Champions League action with a home tie against AS Monaco at the Alphamega Stadium on November 26.
After facing AS Monaco, they will travel to Turin to face Juventus on December 10 and to London to face Chelsea on January 21, before playing their final league phase game at home against Slavia Prague on January 28.
Villarreal, meanwhile, will travel to Espanyol on Saturday night, before returning after the international break to a home fixture against Mallorca, and then facing Borussia Dortmund away in their next European fixture on November 25.
They will then host Danish outfit Copenhagen on December 10 and Dutch four-time Champions League winners Ajax on January 20, before playing their last league phase game, again in Germany against Bayer Leverkusen, on January 28.