Mission Impossible: APOEL goes all out

The GSP stadium is set to be rocked to its foundations by 22,000 frenzied APOEL fans on Wednesday night when the Nicosia side bid to extend their Champions League dream beyond the last 16 by overturning a 1-0 first-leg defeat by Olympique Lyon.
Unfancied APOEL caused the surprise of the group stage by topping a quartet also featuring Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk and Zenit St Petersburg and the club's expectant fans believe a team made up mainly of Brazilian and Portuguese journeymen can cause a Cypriot sporting stir only previously achieved by tennis player Marcos Baghdatis.
The extraordinary achievements so far have also had a significant impact on the club’s finances, with the Champion’s League earnings adding more than 14 mln euros to its coffers.
APOEL earned just under 12 mln euros from making it to the elite group of Europe’s 32 top football clubs last summer starting with the champion’s crown bonus (200,000 euros), 2nd and 3rd preliminary stage games (260,000 euros), playoffs (2.1 mln) and the Champion’s League qualifier (8.2 mln).
This was followed with two victories and three draws, cashing in 800,000 euros per win and 400,000 for each draw.
In addition, the Nicosia team earned television royalties and about 1.2 mln to 1.5 mln from ticket sales in the three home games in the previous stage. More money is expected to flow in from Wednesday’s ticket sales, which have been sold out for a month now, and TV rights, with Champion’s League partner Sigma showing the game at 9.45pm.
Lyon laboured to a first-leg victory in France with a second-half goal from Alexandre Lacazette and APOEL were strong at home in the group stage, beating both Porto and Zenit.
"It is something unprecedented for fans, not only those of APOEL," a fan, Panayiotis Hadjiapostolou, said. "Cypriot fans have never experienced such a thing before."
Media interest has also grown, with nearly 160 foreign sportswriters and commentators accredited to follow the game.
This is the second time in three years that the Cyprus champion has gone through to the eight groups of four teams, having equalised in 2009 with giants Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and FC Porto, earning a bonus of 1.2 mln euros.
However, coach Ivan Jovanovic is confident that he has a strong team including the Brazilian duo of Maduka and Copenhagen transfer Ailton, having cost the Nicosia team a mere 600,000 euros in 2010.
For the first time in some weeks, Jovanovic has a fully fit squad at his disposal and spirits are high after two league wins revived title hopes for APOEL who sit third in their home championship.
"We will face Olympique with our morale high. We will get our chances and we are going to chase them until the end," said the Serb coach.
Lyon geared up for the return leg in the worst possible way, losing 2-0 at strugglers Nancy in Ligue 1 as their hopes of playing in the Champions League next season took another blow on Saturday.
It was Lyon's third defeat in their last four league games.
"It's a big disappointment but … we need to get back on track mentally and not listen to all the negative comments," Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas told reporters.
"But the team usually play well in decisive matches."
Lyon will be without playmaker Yoann Gourcuff, who has been ruled out with a groin injury but has barely been playing lately after his form nosedived this season.
Coach Remi Garde, however, is expect to welcome back centre back Dejan Lovren, although the Croat is unlikely to start the game.