Pafos did it again!
Pafos did it again!
Against all odds, the Cypriots triumphed 1–0 over Villarreal, celebrating their first-ever win in the Champions League.
Many would say that simply reaching the Champions League main stage was an achievement in itself… Pafos seemed to have already shattered its ceiling — but this team is far from satisfied. And they proved it once again against Villarreal. With a passionate, fighting performance, the Cypriots edged the Spaniards 1–0 in a historic victory — their very first at Champions League level.
The hosts started strong and threatened early with a strike from Domingos Quina that Villarreal’s goalkeeper managed to block (2’). In the minutes that followed, the Spaniards responded and came close to taking the lead on three occasions, but Pepê, Mikautadze, and Gueye couldn’t find the net.
Pafos managed to extinguish the visitors’ spark and regain balance before igniting an
explosion
in the stands in the 47th minute — when Lukassen headed home from a corner to put his team ahead 1–0, setting the stadium alight. Once Villarreal recovered from the shock, they pushed hard to equalize, but ran into an inspired Neofytos Michael, who produced a crucial save in the 65th minute to deny Oluwaseyi’s header and keep the clean sheet intact.
Despite sustained pressure from the visitors, nothing changed until the final whistle — which marked a magical night for Pafos, who celebrated the first Champions League win in their history and climbed temporarily to 19th place in the standings with five points.
Pafos in qualification position — inside the top 24, above European giants!
Pafos in qualification position — inside the top 24, above European giants!
With five points, Juan Carlos Carcedo’s team sits on course for knockout qualification among the last 16 of Europe’s elite competition. The Cypriot champions are astonishingly above football powerhouses such as Leverkusen, Napoli, Juventus, Marseille, Villarreal, and Ajax.
The “Sky Blues” will next host Monaco (26/11, 19:45) for Matchday 5, then visit Juventus in Turin (10/12, 22:00). They’ll travel to London to face Chelsea (21/1, 22:00) before closing their League Phase campaign at home at the Alphamega Stadium against Slavia Prague (28/1, 22:00).
Matchday 4 – League Phase results:
Matchday 4 – League Phase results:
Napoli – Eintracht 0–0
Slavia Prague – Arsenal 0–3
Atletico – Union Saint-Gilloise 3–1
Liverpool – Real Madrid 1–0
Tottenham – Copenhagen 4–0
Olympiacos – PSV 1–1
Juventus – Sporting 1–1
Paris Saint-Germain – Bayern 1–2
Bodø/Glimt – Monaco 0–1
Pafos – Villarreal 1–0
Qarabag – Chelsea 2–2
Manchester City – Dortmund 4–1
Newcastle – Athletic 2–0
Ajax – Galatasaray 0–3
Club Brugge – Barcelona 3–3
Benfica – Leverkusen 0–1
Inter – Kairat 2–1
Marseille – Atalanta 0–1
