- Report from Montenegro: Giorgos Kyzas
The national team leaves Montenegro without any points, as our squad, despite taking an early lead, suffered a 2-1 defeat in its Nations League opener.
Our team played terribly in the first half of the match. There were easy mistakes, careless turnovers, and poor coordination between the lines. This was also noted by Akis Mantzios in the press conference that followed the match.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
A Look Back at Apollon’s International Soccer Players
At the start of the second half, things improved. Our national team players gained ground, controlled the pace, and were fortunate enough to open the scoring with Edwards (55′), in his debut for the national team.
Nevertheless, the… cheap penalty we conceded to Montenegro a few minutes later prevented Cyprus from maintaining its lead for long. The game then opened up, with the home team capitalizing on a lapse in the Cypriot defense late in the match to secure the victory, depriving us of a precious point.
As expected, the result brought a somber mood to the locker room, mainly due to our performance in the second half. Now, our national team players must lift their heads and look ahead.
The team departs today (September 26 – 2:00 p.m.) for Riga, ahead of the match in Latvia for the second matchday (September 28 – 7:00 p.m.).
On Sunday (September 27), during the final practice, the lineup will be finalized, with Laifis making an effort to earn a spot on the roster.
