Soccer usually rewards those who don’t give up—those who fight until the very last second—and our national team yesterday (10/05), despite setbacks, pushed for the goal and ultimately came from behind to beat Latvia 2-1, celebrating its second consecutive victory in the Nations League.
Our national team capitalized on the momentum from its 2-0 win over Armenia and managed to hold onto second place in its League C group, while also leaving open the possibility of… even defeating the group leader, Montenegro.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Our national team dominated from the start of the match and created several chances in the first half, led by Loizou, Edwards, and Pitta, though they failed to capitalize on them. In the second half, things took a turn for the worse, as the visitors took the lead against the run of play through Daskevich (57′).
Nevertheless, Cyprus didn’t give up. They showed character, believed in their abilities, and confidently chased the three points, turning… a dramatic turnaround thanks to Kostis’s equalizer (70′) and the Anglo-Cypriot’s buzzer-beater (90+4′).
Of course, there is room for improvement, but the important thing is that the national team had the fortitude and maturity to keep its cool and mount a comeback, in a game where a positive result was the “only way forward.”
It’s also worth noting that in recent games there has been an improvement in the third quarter, while the highlight of the entire break is undoubtedly the performance of our new addition, Marcus Edwards.
The 27-year-old made an impressive impact, confirming his quality and experience as a player who has appeared in the Premier League for Burnley, as well as a two-time Portuguese champion with Sporting Lisbon. His honors also include a U-19 European Championship with England,
In total, he played 318 minutes and also scored against Montenegro. The Anglo-Cypriot may have taken some time to accept the CFF’s offer, but once he did, he proved from the very first moment that he wants to be part of our team and can contribute more than his fair share.
Upcoming matches in the tournament include an away game against Armenia (Nov. 12, 7:00 p.m.) for Matchday 5 and a home game in Cyprus against Montenegro (Nov. 15, 4:00 p.m.) in Cyprus against Montenegro for the 6th and final round.
Our national team needs two wins to climb to the top of the standings, which would secure promotion to League B; in the event of a tie with Montenegro, the goal difference in their head-to-head matches will determine the outcome. Beyond that, if they finish second, they’ll face the team that finished last in League B in order to secure promotion.
