Lyon stunned as APOEL fairy tale continues
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E-mail Xinhua, March 8, 2012
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APOEL players celebrate after a penalty shootout victory over Lyon for a place in the quarterfinals. |
APOEL Nicosia extended its stunning run in the Champions League after goalkeeper Dionisios Chiotis pulled off an impressive performance to give the Cypriot club a 4-3 penalty shootout victory over Lyon for a place in the quarterfinals.
Chiotis made two nearly identical saves by diving to his left to block penalties from Alexandre Lacazette and Michel Bastos while APOEL converted all four of its own spot kicks.
The game finished 1-0 to APOEL after regulation for a 1-1 aggregate score, and neither side could break the deadlock in extra time.
APOEL had already become the first team from this tiny east Mediterranean island to advance to the knockout stages of Europe's premier club competition, and few had expected the team to overcome the French powerhouse.
Gustavo Manduca scored the only goal in the ninth minute of the game.
