Jovanović praises 'magnificent' APOEL

Coach Ivan Jovanović said APOEL FC were a "small club with a big heart" after they battled back from a first-leg deficit to defeat FC København and claim a place in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League for the first time.

Great start
Early goals from Kamil Kosowski and Chrysostomos Michail in Nicosia put APOEL in command, but the tie swung back FCK's way when Dame N'Doye pulled one back on 22 minutes. Michail struck again four minutes before the break and APOEL were able to resist the Danish side's second-half pressure to ensure a Cypriot presence in the group stage for a second successive season.

'Magnificent time'
"This is a magnificent time for us," Jovanović said. "It still hasn't really sunk in. We have achieved something fantastic for our club and for Cypriot football. We will aim to continue where Anorthosis left off. We are proud to have finished a long and hard summer, especially against sides as tough as Partizan [who APOEL overcame in the third qualifying round] and København."

'Big heart'
He added: "It was a game of two halves. In the first half we were on the attack and in the second we were defending. Now we look towards the group stage and I'm certain we will continue to represent football in the best possible way this season." Jovanović could even afford a wry smile as he considered potential group-stage opponents. "It's easier for me to list the teams that I don't wish to get in the draw," he said. "We may be a small club from a small nation in the Champions League but we have a big heart. We will give our all in the competition. We can't really put any targets into place so all we can wish for is to play good football and show everyone that we deserve to be in the competition."