Northern Ireland v Cyprus (12/06/2020)

UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE - LEAGUE C GROUP 2 NORTHERN IRELAND V CYPRUS

NATIONAL FOOTBALL STADIUM AT WINDSOR PARK OFFICIAL MATCH DAY PROGRAMME | 12/06/2022 | £4

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02. TEAMS 03.

PRESIDENT ’S WELCOME

04. IAN BARACLOUGH 07. PATRICK NELSON 10. NORTHERN IRELAND SQUAD 12. GAVIN WHY TE 18. DID YOU KNOW? 27. THE OPPONENTS 32. SHAYNE LAVERY 51. INTERNATIONAL RECORD

IRISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION

PRESIDENT: CONRAD KIRKWOOD CHIEF EXECUTIVE: PATRICK NELSON ADVERTISING: IRISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIAT ION PICTURES: PRESS EYE

OFFICIAL PUBL ICATION BY IRISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION NAT IONAL FOOTBALL STADIUM, DONEGALL AVE , BELFAST BT12 5LW

HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS: DANNY LYNCH EDITOR: NIGEL T ILSON DESIGN: L ANDMARK / MADCOLOUR.COM PRINT: MADCOLOUR.COM PLEASE NOTE THAT THE VIEWS IN THIS PROGRAMME DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THOSE OF THE IRISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIAT ION.

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NORTHERN IRELAND GREEN & WHITE

CYPRUS ALL BLUE

MANAGER I. BARACLOUGH

MANAGER N. KOSTENOGLOU

T. CARSON (ST MIRREN) J. CLARKE (GLENAVON) B. PEACOCK-FARRELL (BURNLEY) L. SOUTHWOOD (READING) D. BALLARD (ARSENAL) C. BRADLEY (LIVERPOOL) C. BOYD-MUNCE (MIDDLESBROUGH) C. BROWN (CARDIFF CITY) J. EVANS (LEICESTER CITY) T. HUME (SUNDERLAND) P. LANE (FLEETWOOD TOWN) P. McNAIR (MIDDLESBROUGH) B. SPENCER (HUDDERSFIELD TOWN) S. CHARLES (MANCHESTER CITY) S. DAVIS (RANGERS) L. DONNELLY (MOTHERWELL) A. McCALMONT (LEEDS UNITED) A. McCANN (PRESTON NORTH END) C. McCANN (RANGERS) N. McGINN (DUNDEE) G. SAVILLE (MILLWALL) J. THOMPSON (STOKE CITY) D. CHARLES (BOLTON WANDERERS) K. LAFFERTY (KILMARNOCK) S. LAVERY (BLACKPOOL) C. McMENAMIN (GLENTORAN) G. WHYTE (CARDIFF CITY)

N. MICHAEL (APOEL NICOSIA) I. TOUMPAS (AEK LARNACA)

A. CHRISTODOULOU (ETHNIKOS ACHNAS) A. AVRAAM (ANORTHOSIS FAMAGUSTA) K. LAIFIS (STANDARD DE LIÈGE (BEL)) N. IOANNOU (COMO (ITA)) M. ANTONIADES (ANORTHOSIS FAMAGUSTA) F. KATELARIS (APOLLON LIMASSOL) M. ANTONIOU (AEL LIMASSOL) N. PANAGIOTOU (OMONOIA NICOSIA) A. PANAYIOTOU (APOLLON LIMASSOL) P. KORREA (ANORTHOSIS FAMAGUSTA) K. ARTYMATAS (ANORTHOSIS FAMAGUSTA) C. KYRIAKOU (APOLLON LIMASSOL) G. KASTANOS (SALERNITANA (ITA)) M. SPOLJARIC (ARIS LIMASSOL) A. GOGIC (ST MIRREN) M. IOANNOU (ANORTHOSIS FAMAGUSTA) G. SATSIAS (APOEL NICOSIA) D. CHRISTOFI (ANORTHOSIS FAMAGUSTA) P. SOTIRIOU (PFC LUDOGORETS RAZGRAD (BUL)) F. PAPOULIS (OMONOIA NICOSIA) I. PITTAS (APOLLON LIMASSOL) L. LOIZOU (OMONOIA NICOSIA) M. TZIONIS (SPORTING KANSAS CITY (US)) A. KAKOULLIS (OMONOIA NICOSIA)

MATCH DAY OFFICIALS REFEREE : RICARDO DE BURGOS BENGOECHEA (ESP) ASSISTANT REFEREE : ROBERTO DIAZ PEREZ DEL PALOMAR (ESP)

ASSISTANT REFEREE : JON NUNEZ FERNANDEZ (ESP) FOURTH OFFICIAL : ADRIAN CORDERO VEGA (ESP)

VIDEO ASSISTANT REFEREE : JOSÉ LUIS MUNUERA MONTERO (ESP) ASSISTANT VIDEO ASSISTANT REFEREE : PAU CEBRIAN DEVIS (ESP) OBSERVER : VÍ TOR PEREIRA (POR)

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PRESIDENT’S WELCOME

I welcome our visitors, Cyprus, to the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park. And I extend a warm welcome to all our supporters this afternoon as well .

The dedication of our away support continues to inspire me. In Larnaca and Pristina, I took the opportunity to talk with fans including some from clubs including Magheraveely in Fermanagh, Donaghadee, Newtownabbey, Spirit of ’82 and Holywood. Given the nature of international travel currently, many of the fans were subject to delays and cancellations. It was good to meet them, to hear their experiences and to appreciate the ingenuity of the onward travel arrangements for those who were taking in both games. With that in mind, I am even more grateful of their support and thankful for their perseverance. I was delighted to join an Amalgamation of Official Northern Ireland Supporters’ Clubs (AONISC) meeting before the away games and to speak directly with fans. I must place on record my appreciation for the work of the Amalgamation, who do so much to make sure that travelling supporters have a safe, secure and enjoyable experience. There are no easy games at international level and we have seen that so far in our latest UEFA Nations League campaign. Kosovo were buoyed by a vociferous home support on Thursday and our opponents today certainly gave a good account of themselves in Larnaca last weekend. The quirkiest fact that I have heard in recent days is that it is unusual to play two teams in back-to-back fixtures who have a map of

their country on their national f lag. The last time that we played a team with a map on its f lag will have been when we faced Bosnia and Herzegovina away. Like us, Cyprus are at the tail end of what amounts to a tricky compressed period of football in which there is little time for players to recover. I am encouraged that Shayne Lavery and Daniel Ballard found the net in Pristina. In Kosovo I learned the phrase “Gur gur bëhet mur”. Literally translated it means brick by brick makes the wall thick. It is like the English proverb “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. Whilst there have been several absentees from the squad, the Nations League games this month have provided opportunities for other players, and it was encouraging to see players make senior debuts over the last few games. Shea Charles slotted in with ease and impressed me. It was also good to see Glentoran’s Conor McMenamin put in a fine personal performance against Cyprus and Brodie Spencer making his debut , too. Some new bricks are in place. Tonight’s game remains important . Again it should be close to a sell-out , so let’s get behind Ian Baraclough and our team in typical GAWA fashion. CONRAD KIRKWOOD PRESIDENT IRISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIAT ION

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It would be fair to say our campaign in League C Group 2 in the third edition of the UEFA Nations League has not gone according to plan.

For starters, we expected to have secured more points by this stage, and to have scored more goals. However, there are lots of positives to take from our opening three games, especially the match in Pristina last Thursday. I thought we started well against Kosovo and took the game to them. Being two goals down after 20 minutes was not part of the game plan, but we played our way back into it and arguably could have come away with a point . We were resolute, we created chances and we were positive in possession. Brodie Spencer supplied a fine cross for our first goal against Kosovo, while Shayne Lavery produced a great run into the six-yard area to finish it , as good strikers do. We have worked on set pieces and the players have also provided ideas for set pieces. The way we worked our second goal against Kosovo, with Dan Ballard heading home Jordan Thompson’s delivery, will give us a fillip going forward for future games. If you take Steven Davis, Kyle Lafferty and Jonny Evans out of the group of players who faced Kosovo then you would not find too many caps among the rest of them. Some have just turned 18, while others are not experienced at this level . They have had to learn quickly, and they are doing that . And they must continue to do that . I said in the matchday programme for the game v Greece earlier this month that the four Nations League games in June and the two in September are so important as we look forward to next year’s Euro 2024 qualifiers.

Being at Germany 2024 is our long-term goal so these games have played and are playing a part in that . As I said before, it’s about looking at the squad, swelling the squad and giving people chances when other more experienced players are not available. We knew it was going to be a difficult game against Kosovo. They have had a settled side for the past three or four years, with good players who operate at a high level . However, we managed to create lots of chances in Pristina. In fact we had more attempts than the Kosovans. They had 10 and we had 11. And that bodes well for the future. Something else that bodes well for the future is how the debutants over the past week performed. Shea Charles has shown us he is a real talent , while Brodie Spencer has also been excellent . And Conor McMenamin has proved once again that players in the NIFL Premiership can make an impact at international level . We know this is a transitional period for the squad but we are blooding new players and giving players important experience on the international stage. In the final quarter of the game in Kosovo we played really well and I have no doubt that if we can reproduce that kind of form against Cyprus today then we can get a positive result . Thanks as always for your fantastic support . Here’s hoping that we can give you something to shout about – and I am confident that we will . IAN BARACLOUGH NORTHERN IRELAND MANAGER

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PLAYSHARP

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GOOD AFTERNOON Welcome to the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park for what will be our fourth senior men’s international match in 11 days. Today we welcome Cyprus to Northern Ireland, one week after we played them in Larnaca.

One of the outworkings of the decision to make Qatar the host of FIFA World Cup 2022 was, of course, that the World Cup final tournament was moved from its usual summer slot and this unprecedented quadruple header was shoehorned into the calendar for June. There is no getting away from the fact that we are disappointed with the return of only one point from three matches in the UEFA Nations League so far. As top seeds in our group, we would have expected significantly more, however here we are at the halfway point of the series in third place with one draw. Taking the glass half empty perspective, this is not where we want to be. Taking the other view, however, we have played all three teams in the group now and realistically there is nothing to be scared of in our Nations League opponents. It is clear we are a squad in transition now, as evidenced by the number of young players Ian has given debuts to in this last 11 days. Ian has a track record of bringing young players through into the senior squad, and when we are able to bring back some of the more experienced players who have been on the treatment table in recent weeks then we will hopefully again be a force to be reckoned with. The experience gained during this window by the likes of Conor Bradley, Shea Charles, Conor

McMenamin and Brodie Spencer is something that endless training sessions cannot provide and will stand them in good stead for their future club and international careers. As this is our last game before UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 in England next month, I would like to salute again Kenny Shiels and his squad for the incredible achievement of taking us to our first ever senior women’s finals. When we take the field against Norway in Southampton on 7 July there will be thousands of the GAWA in attendance and a whole country behind Marissa as she leads the team out . As everyone knows, we are the lowest ranked country in the tournament , and the only one without a professional squad, so making it to the finals is a huge achievement in itself. To make sure we give the best account of ourselves that we can, we have operated a full time training camp in Belfast since the start of January and we hope that this will allow us to go into the tournament with confidence. Our other group stage opponents are Austria on 11 July and host nation England on 15 July. Good luck to Kenny and the entire squad. Enjoy the match today.

PATRICK NELSON CHIEF EXECUT IVE IRISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIAT ION

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NORTHERN IRELAND GREEN & WHITE

TREVOR CARSON

JOSH CLARKE

POS: CLUB: GOALKEEPER READING LUKE SOUTHWOOD

POS: CLUB: DEFENDER ARSENAL DANIEL BALLARD

POS: CLUB: GOALKEEPER BURNLEY BAILEY PEACOCK-FARRELL

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

GOALKEEPER ST MIRREN

GOALKEEPER GLENAVON

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

34

7

0

17

0

0

25

33

0

24

1

0

22

15

2

POS: CLUB: DEFENDER MIDDLESBROUGH CAOLAN BOYD-MUNCE

POS: CLUB: DEFENDER LIVERPOOL CONOR BRADLEY

JONNY EVANS

TRAI HUME

CIARON BROWN

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

DEFENDER LEICESTER CITY

DEFENDER SUNDERLAND

DEFENDER CARDIFF CITY

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

18

7

0

22

0

0

24

11

0

34

97

4

20

2

0

PATRICK LANE

SHEA CHARLES

STEVEN DAVIS

PADDY McNAIR

BRODIE SPENCER

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

DEFENDER FLEETWOOD TOWN

MIDFIELDER MANCHESTER CITY

MIDFIELDER RANGERS

DEFENDER MIDDLESBROUGH

DEFENDER HUDDERSFIELD TOWN

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

21

3

0

27

55

5

18

2

0

18

3

0

37

137 13

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LIAM DONNELLY

ALFIE McCALMONT

POS: CLUB: MIDFIELDER RANGERS CHARLIE McCANN

ALI McCANN

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

MIDFIELDER MOTHERWELL

MIDFIELDER LEEDS UNITED

MIDFIELDER PRESTON N END

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

26

4

0

22

4

0

22

14

1

20

0

0

POS: CLUB: MIDFIELDER STOKE CITY JORDAN THOMPSON

NIALL McGINN

GEORGE SAVILLE

DION CHARLES

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

MIDFIELDER DUNDEE

MIDFIELDER MILLWALL

FORWARD BOLTON WANDERERS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

29

40

0

34

72

6

25

23

0

26

9

0

KYLE LAFFERTY

SHAYNE LAVERY

POS: CLUB: FORWARD GLENTORAN CONOR McMENAMIN

GAVIN WHYTE

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

POS: CLUB:

FORWARD KILMARNOCK

FORWARD BLACKPOOL

FORWARD CARDIFF CITY

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

AGE

CAPS GOALS

23

14

2

26

2

0

34

88

20

26

26

4

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WORDS: Mark McIntosh The Sun

SQUAD NO: 18 \ NI APP: 25* CLUBS: CRUSADERS (132) OXFORD UNI TED (36)

GAVIN WHTYE LOOKING FOR HOME COMFORTS

Gavin Whyte believes Northern Ireland have to start enjoying

CARDIFF CI T Y (31) HULL CI T Y (LOAN 20) OXFORD UNI TED (LOAN 31)

home comforts to spark a revival in their fortunes.

PLACE OF BIRTH: BELFAST HEIGHT: 175CM WEIGHT: 64KG

DATE OF BIRTH: 31-01-1996

POSITION: WINGER

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*ALL STATS CORRECT PRIOR TO THE GAME WI TH KOSOVO ON THURSDAY.

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he has what it takes to help lighten the goal burden for his country. He added: “I played the number 10 role most of the season, and sometimes on the right or up front . “With Northern Ireland we mostly play with two strikers and I’m not really a wing back, so that’s probably why I’ve played up top more. I enjoy it , but as long as I’m playing, I’ ll enjoy playing anywhere.” He admits he is really a natural winger but he will always try to do a job up front . “Hopefully I can be a goal threat by getting into good positions and making effective runs,” he added. Whyte spent time on loan at former club Oxford United last season but will return to parent club Cardiff City for the start of pre-season. He said: “The season probably didn’t go as well for me as I had hoped. I had a lot of assists, but I think I should have had more goals to my name. “I think I had a good season but it could have been better. It’s always hard going out on loan, but that was made a bit easier going back to Oxford because I knew a lot of the boys and the people around the club and the manager. “Going on loan is tough when you have to go and live somewhere else, away from your family at times. “That was my second loan after the one at Hull City. It wasn’t what I had planned, but I had to try to make the most of it .” Whyte is looking forward to getting back to pre- season once the Nations League quadruple header is over and he’s had a break with his family. “Hopefully I’ ll know where I stand after a few weeks. I want to get my head down and do well , however if it looks like I have to go out on loan again then it might be a case of finding a club where I can settle,” he admitted. “I want to get my wee girl into a school where she can settle without having to move again. I’m not wanting to think about it too much at the minute though because my only focus is on trying to do well for Northern Ireland and then get away for a week on holiday to recharge the batteries. Then I can look at everything.”

LOOKING FOR HOME COMFORTS

Wins have been hard to come by at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park in recent times, but the ex-Crusaders man believes the tide will turn. The UEFA Nations League campaign has not started the way the manager, players and supporters would have hoped, however Whyte insists the squad are working as hard as possible to produce performances the Green and White Army can be proud of. “I think we are getting a lot out of the Nations League despite the results. Obviously we want our record to be much better but it is one of those transition periods,” said Whyte. “We’re trying to get new players in amongst the boys, which is important for the future. “But , like I said, obviously we should be doing better. I don’t know why; we’re probably going through one of those patches when not much goes right . We are losing or drawing games we should be winning, we know that .” He said winning games at home is something the team should be doing to build momentum, and tonight’s game against Cyprus must be a first step towards that . “It’s maybe something we haven’t done enough of in recent times. Giving the fans something to cheer at Windsor is something that’s important to us and that’s what we want to put right as soon as possible,” he pointed out . “The one thing I can say is that it’s nothing to do with a lack of effort or workrate. Things just aren’t going right for us at the minute. It is frustrating because we know we can do better, and we know we should be doing better. “Sometimes these things happen in football but we have to keep working and hopefully things will change.” Whyte earned a move to England after dazzling displays as a right winger at Crusaders, although his game has evolved in recent years. Most of his international appearances have come as a second striker and he is determined to show

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DID YOU KNOW?

WORDS: MARSHALL GILLESPIE

Northern Ireland’s youngest ever scorer was Distillery’s Samuel Johnston who netted a consolation goal in a 7-1 defeat to Wales at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham on 25 February 1882 aged just 15 years and 153 days. His only other goal for his country came just over four years later in March 1886 when he was on target in a 7-2 British Championship defeat to Scotland in Belfast .

When Steven Davis found the net as a substitute in the 3-1 victory over Luxembourg back in March, he was aged 37 years and 83 days, making him the second oldest player ever to score in an international for Northern Ireland. The oldest player to find the net for Northern Ireland was Derby County’s Archie Goodall who was 38 years and 282 days when he scored in a 2-0 win over Wales at Solitude in March 1903.

A total of 41 players have scored for Northern Ireland after coming on as a substitute in a full international . The first substitute to score in an international was Oldham Athletic’s Willie Johnston in a 4-1 friendly victory over Mexico at Windsor Park on 22 June 1966. The youngest substitute to score a goal for Northern Ireland is Kyle Lafferty who was aged just 18 years and 334 days when he hit the winner in a friendly encounter in Finland in August 2006.

Northern Ireland have benefitted from a total of 10 own goals over the past 140 years. The first own goal was scored by England’s Reg Williamson who put through his own net in a 1-1 draw between the countries at Ayresome Park in Middlesbrough in February 1905. Interestingly two of the last four goals that Northern Ireland have registered at the National Stadium have come from opposition players. Slovakia’s Milan Skriniar netted in the 2-1 defeat to Slovakia in the Euro Play-Off final in November 2020 and a year later Benas Satkus turned the ball past his own keeper to give Ian Baraclough’s men a 1-0 win over Lithuania.

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NIR V CYP

*ALL STATS CORRECT PRIOR TO THE GAME WI TH KOSOVO ON THURSDAY.

Preston North End forward Andrew Gara is the only player to score a hat-trick on his Irish debut when he hit all three goals in a 3-0 win over Wales in Cardiff in February 1902. Ten players have, however, managed to hit a brace of goals in their first game in a green shirt , the last being our record top scorer David Healy in a 3-1 success in Luxembourg on 23 March 2000, which was incidentally also Sammy McIlroy’s first game in charge of Northern Ireland.

Prior to the Kosovo game, Northern Ireland were only three goals away from reaching 700 in international football . Previous milestones have been reached by the following players: 1st : Samuel Johnston v Wales (a) (25.02.1882) 100th : Billy Gillespie v England (h) (19.01.1914) 200th : Billy Simpson v France (a) 12.05.1951 300th : Derek Dougan v Scotland (h) 02.10.1965 400th : Ian Stewart v West Germany (h) 17.11.1982 500th : James Quinn v Belgium (h) 11.02.1997 600th : Paddy McCourt v Faroe Islands (h) 10.08.2011

A total of 36 teenagers have managed to score for Northern Ireland in the past 140 years. Astonishingly seven of Norman Whiteside’s nine goals for his country came before the age of 20! His first was in a 3-1 win over Austria in Belfast when he was just 18 years and 137 days old and his last as a teenager came when he hit both goals in a 2-0 World Cup qualifier victory at home to Turkey in May 1985 at the ripe old age of 19 years and 359 days.

The fastest goal recorded by a Northern Ireland player was on 31 March 1954 when Peter McParland scored just 30 seconds into his full debut in a 2-1 victory over Wales at the Racecourse Ground, Wrexham. To cap a wonderful debut for the then 19-year-old he also managed to score a second half winner. Here are a list of the other fastest goals scored by Northern Ireland players. 56 seconds : Derek Spence v Wales (h) 25.05.1979 56 seconds : Danny Wilson v Poland (h) 23.03.1988 1 minute : Olphie Stanfield v Wales (h) 27.04.1889 1 minute : Davy Walsh v Scotland (a) 17.11.1948

Only three players have ever scored for Northern Ireland in a full international while being attached to foreign clubs. Gerry Armstrong was the first player to achieve this feat when he scored in the 1-1 draw with Wales in Swansea in May 1984 while at Spanish side Real Mallorca. He repeated this achievement six months later when he scored the winner from the penalty spot against Finland. The other players to score while playing abroad are:

James Quinn (Willem II) v Serbia & Montenegro (h) 28.04.2004 Kyle Lafferty (FC Sion) v Finland (h) 15.08.2012 Kyle Lafferty (Caykur Rizespor - loan) v Finland (h) 29.03.2015 (2 goals)

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*ALL STATS CORRECT PRIOR TO THE GAME WI TH KOSOVO ON THURSDAY.

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SCOUTING REPORT

Andy Greeves takes a closer look at Cyprus ahead of this afternoon’s UEFA Nations League encounter at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park.

STRENGTHS Most would regard Cyprus as a counter-attacking side, with a large number of their chances fashioned shortly after defending an opposition move. Kostakis Artymatas plays an important role in this approach, sitting deep in midfield, shielding the Cypriot back three and looking to play the ball quickly to more attack-minded players when he wins possession. Many of Cyprus’ attacks are constructed in wide areas and many end with low crosses into the opposition penalty area. The tricky Marinos Tzionis usually holds a position on the left wing but will also drift infield to occupy pockets of space. The Sporting Kansas City player scored an excellent goal in the aforementioned victory over Estonia back in March, carrying the ball inside from the left f lank before hitting an unstoppable shot in off the underside of the crossbar. In possession Cyprus are a passing side and rarely look to hit long balls. They press their opponents from the front . Tzionis, who somewhat surprisingly only came off the subs bench in the game against Northern Ireland in Larnaca last Sunday, is the man Cyprus usually rely on to make things happen from an attacking perspective. The 20-year-old winger, who is also comfortable operating as a wing back or in the ‘number 10’ role, looks to have a bright future ahead of him. Dimitris Christofi, who captained Cyprus against Northern Ireland last weekend, is the most experienced player in the squad with 63 caps to his name. He is a canny forward.

LOWDOWN Cyprus’ 2-0 win over Estonia in the UEFA Nations League Group C Play-Outs on 29 March this year ended a 364-day wait for victory, stretching back to a 1-0 success against Slovenia in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier last March. In between those games the Cypriots picked up two draws and were beaten eight times, including a 6-0 humbling at the hands of Russia in November 2021. Ranked 105th in the world (as of May 2022) , Cyprus have never qualified for a major tournament in their history. The Nations League does give them hope of one day appearing at the finals of a European Championships but they will need to improve on their past performances in the competition. Cyprus finished third in the four-team Group C2 in 2018-19 and bottom of Group C1 in 2020-22. And to date in the latest campaign (at the time of writing) they have suffered a 2-0 home defeat to Kosovo and drawn 0-0 with Northern Ireland at home. They were set to face Greece away on Thursday. TACTICS Cyprus usually operate with three centre backs, with the team’s wing backs helping form a back five when defending. Their starting formation generally appears as a 3-4-3 but in reality it is a 5-4-1 system for much of the game. Transfermarkt (www.transfermarkt .co.uk) regularly cites their formation as 3-4-2-1 for matches, taking into account their two wing backs, two deep-lying midfielders and two more attack-minded midfielders supporting a loan striker.

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DO WE ENJOY

WE MAY LOVE WATCHING RONALDO IN ACT ION, BUT NOT WHEN HE’S RIPPING OUR TEAM APART – AS HE DID WHEN HE SCORED A HAT-TRICK AGAINST NORTHERN IREL AND IN BELFAST IN SEP TEMBER 2013.

In what seems a lifetime ago, in my first job after university I worked in an office where one of the regular callers from another department was a big football fan.

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We all know what the best teams with the best players can do, but we are really only interested in our 11 and, if necessary, how they can stop the free flowing football and prevent the superstars from shining. Which of us would not take a boring 0-0 draw instead of an exciting 6-2 hammering? It is all very well admiring from a distance the skills of Ronaldo or Messi, not so much fun if they are strutting their stuff against your team. As Mike Tyson memorably said, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. Another of the oft quoted myths which need debunking is that ‘these things even themselves up over the season’. Quite clearly they do not . The penalty that we should have been awarded in this game, which if we had scored would have meant that we would have won, does not equate to the penalty awarded three months later in a match we are winning 3-0! Football is all about this game, today, not one which will be played at a later date. We live in the here and now. It is great to remember the victories of the past , but they are of little value if you are 2-0 down in the 94th minute. In a similar vein clearly all referees have it in for every team. They award penalties against us but not for us, they caution and send off our players but not the opposition. The offside flag always goes up as we our bearing down on goal , never for the other side. They disallow our goals but never theirs. This one-sided perception is a common football fan trait . It’s a persecution complex, but we relish being the underdog, we relish that everyone dislikes us and our team. It brings us together. And when the whistle is blown for full time and the game ends, we can either trudge back to our lives defeated and deflated or stride confidently victorious and buoyant into the future. That is the power of the game we love and enjoy - and may we enjoy today’s match!

WORDS : WILLIAM CAMPBELL

REALLY IT?

He would call in on a Monday morning to discuss the weekend’s local football and I found out he was a Linfield season ticket holder. He would often bemoan the Blues’ performances (it was not a season where they were sweeping the boards) . On one occasion he said ‘and my wife thinks I’m enjoying myself – how could you enjoy watching that?’! That football fans actually enjoy matches is a myth, in my opinion. We ‘enjoy it’ when our team wins (and that means deservedly or not) and to our eternal shame we ‘enjoy it’ when our bitter rivals lose. Football fans are the most fiercely loyal supporters of the doctrine of schadenfreude (deriving pleasure from another person’s misfortune) I have come across. As fans we also cling on to the faintest strand of hope. Give me a turgid 1-0 victory won by a miskick any day over a free flowing and skilful exhibition in which we are well beaten 5-0 by a wonderful side brimming with skill and class.

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WORDS: LIAM BLACKBURN

THE COACH: CYPRUS

Nikos Kostenoglou was hired as the manager of the Cyprus team in February 2021

A former central defender, he is best known for an 11-year spell with Greek giants AEK Athens, for whom he played over 200 times between 1994 and 2005. It was with AEK where he began his coaching career, initially as a youth coach and then as assistant manager. Kostenoglou took over the first team in February 2008 and won 10 of his 18 games in charge during the run-in, but he left in May when AEK hired Georgios Donis, the ex-Blackburn Rovers, Sheffield United and Huddersfield Town midfielder who had previously become the first Greek to play in the Premier League. After spells in charge of Greek sides Asteras Tripolis and AEL , Kostenoglou returned to AEK for a second stint at the helm before leading another of his former clubs, Skoda Xanthi. Kostenoglou moved to Cyprus to take charge of Anorthosis Famagusta in February 2014, although his time there proved short-lived as he won just one of his 16 games, losing 13 times. Following another short period managing Apollon Smyrnis, Kostenoglou joined the Greek national team as an assistant to Sergio Markarian in February 2015, however their reign lasted only three games.

Kostenoglou moved on to another Greek side, Aris, and won 12 of his 16 games, then led Doxa Drama before returning to AEK, initially as technical manager of the academy and under-19s coach before he once again managed the first team in his final club job before being hired to coach Cyprus. • Capped once by Greece, Kostenoglou only played for two clubs during his career - Skoda Xanthi and AEK Athens. He won four Greek Cup titles with AEK. • The current Cyprus boss played 222 times for AEK, while he notched up 131 appearances for Skoda Xanthi. And he scored seven times during his playing career. • Kostenoglou, 51, has been the head coach for nine different clubs and countries, but his current role is the first time he has spent longer than a year in charge of a senior team. • He won just one of his first 13 games in charge with Cyprus - against Slovenia in March 2021 - and his team failed to score in 10 of those fixtures.

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THE SQUAD: CYPRUS

WORDS: LIAM BLACKBURN

NEOFYTOS MICHAEL GOALKEEPER APOEL

IOAKEIM TOUMPAS GOALKEEPER AEK LARNACA AGE 23 CAPS 0 GOALS 0

ANDREAS CHRISTODOULOU GOALKEEPER ETHNIKOS ACHNAS

AGE 28 CAPS 14 GOALS 0 Goalkeeper who is finally

AGE 25 CAPS 0 GOALS 0 A product of Olympiakos Nicosia’s academy, Christodoulou lists fellow Cypriot clubs Omonoia and AEK Larnaca among his former teams. Having represented Cyprus at under-17, under-19 and under-21 level, the goalkeeper was first called up to the senior squad for his country’s Nations League games against Norway and Bulgaria in November 2018. NIKOLAS IOANNOU DEFENDER COMO AGE 26 CAPS 37 GOALS 2 A former captain of Manchester United’s reserves, he played alongside Marcus Rashford and Scott McTominay in England. Joined APOEL, where he won five league titles, and played in the Champions League as a teenager. Moved to Nottingham Forest in 2020 but spent last year on loan with Italian club Como.

FANOS KATELARIS DEFENDER APOLLON LIMASSOL AGE 25 CAPS 15 GOALS 1 Katelaris, who can also operate as a central midfielder, won the top flight title in Cyprus with Apollon Limassol this past season. He previously briefly spent time in Hungary. Represented his country at under-17, under-19 and under-21 level and made his senior debut in 2017, marking that appearance with a goal. youth, Laifis now plays his club football in Belgium having joined Standard Liege permanently from Olympiakos following a successful loan spell. Played against Northern Ireland at under-21 level and debuted for the senior team in 2014. KONSTANTINOS LAIFIS DEFENDER STANDARD LIEGE AGE 29 CAPS 45 GOALS 3 A talented tennis player who spent time at Nottingham Forest’s academy in his senior side when called up for the November World Cup qualifiers against Slovenia and Russia. Toumpas is yet to make his debut for Cyprus but is furthering his case for inclusion after finally making the breakthrough at AEK Larnaca. Young goalkeeper who had his first experience of the Cyprus AGE 27 CAPS 3 GOALS 0 Now in his second season with Apollon Limassol, Panayiotou began his career with Omonoia but didn’t start playing regularly until he joined Pafos in 2018. An international at under-19 and under-21 level, he made his first senior appearance from the bench back in 2017 in a friendly with Kazakhstan. ANTREAS PANAYIOTOU DEFENDER APOLLON LIMASSOL

looking to nail down a regular spot at club side APOEL after a series of loan moves away from the club in Cyprus and Greece. Made his international debut in a 6-1 loss to Belgium in 2019. Has been the country’s number one over the past two years.

ANDREAS AVRAAM DEFENDER

ANORTHOSIS FAMAGUSTA AGE 35 CAPS 49 GOALS 5 The experienced Avraam turned 35 this week. He has spent the bulk of his club career in his native land, playing for the likes of Apollon Limassol, Omonoia and AEL Limassol. Scored his first international goal in 2008 and was on target in a 4-4 draw with Portugal in 2010. ANORTHOSIS FAMAGUSTA AGE 32 CAPS 20 GOALS 0 A product of APOEL’s academy, Antoniades won six league titles and three Cypriot Cups with his boyhood club. After playing for Panionios in the Greek Super League, he has gone on to feature for AEK Larnaca, Apollon Limassol and Anorthosis Famagusta. Can operate at left back or as a central defender. AGE 22 CAPS 6 GOALS 0 His club manager is Neil Lennon, and the former Northern Ireland international introduced Panagiotou from the bench at half-time of last month’s Cypriot Cup final, when Omonoia won the trophy after a penalty shootout. Made his senior international debut last year after featuring for Cyprus at under-19 and under-21 level. MARIOS ANTONIADES DEFENDER NIKOLAS PANAGIOTOU DEFENDER OMONOIA

MINAS ANTONIOU DEFENDER AEL LIMASSOL AGE 28 CAPS 13 GOALS 0

Antoniou is now back with AEL Limassol, the club where he began his career. Had spells with Aris Limassol and APOEL between the two stints. Played for Cyprus at under-17, under-19 and under-21 level, and made his senior bow in 2018, coming off the bench in a friendly with Montenegro.

PAVLOS KORREA DEFENDER

ANORTHOSIS FAMAGUSTA AGE 23 CAPS 4 GOALS 0

Has made the breakthrough with Anorthosis Famagusta this past season after coming through the club’s academy. His father is Panamanian, and he was even called up by the Central American nation for the Gold Cup last year, but he represents Cyprus having previously played for the country at youth level, too.

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KOSTAKIS ARTYMATAS MIDFIELD

ALEX GOGIC MIDFIELD ST MIRREN AGE 28 CAPS 12 GOALS 0 Played for Olympiacos and Swansea at youth level but has spent his senior career in Scotland with Hamilton, Hibernian and St Mirren. Gogic will be released by parent club Hibernian at the end of the month. His father, Sinisa, played 37 times for Cyprus and once scored in a Champions League quarter-final tie for Olympiacos against Juventus. ANORTHOSIS FAMAGUSTA AGE 33 CAPS 63 GOALS 8 The most experienced player in this squad, Christofi won his first senior international cap back in 2008. He joined Sion in 2013, moving to the Swiss club shortly after Kyle Lafferty left for Palermo. Christofi’s most recent international goal came in 2017 and six of the eight he has scored came in Cyprus. FOTIOS PAPOULIS FORWARD OMONOIA AGE 37 CAPS 29 GOALS 3 Born in Athens, Papoulis began his career in Greece before moving to Apollon Limassol. He reached double figures in seven of the eight seasons he spent with Apollon. Now plays his club football for Neil Lennon’s Omonoia, with whom he won a title in 2020- 21, when Henning Berg was in charge. CHARALAMPOS KYRIAKOU MIDFIELD APOLLON LIMASSOL AGE 27 CAPS 45 GOALS 0 A one-club man, Kyriakou has spent his entire career with Apollon Limassol apart from a one-season loan spell with Portuguese outfit Estoril. He won his first league title this season. A Cyprus international at under-17, under-19 and under-21 level, he made his senior debut in a friendly against Northern Ireland in 2014. DIMITRIS CHRISTOFI FORWARD

MICHALIS IOANNOU MIDFIELD ANORTHOSIS FAMAGUSTA AGE 21 CAPS 3 GOALS 0 A product of Anorthosis Famagusta’s youth system, Ioannou remains under contract with the Cypriot club, though most of his 20 league appearances this past season came from the bench. Made his senior international debut at Hampden Park in June 2019, starting the game as Cyprus were beaten 2-1 by Scotland. GRIGORIS KASTANOS MIDFIELD SALERNITANA AGE 24 CAPS 46 GOALS 3 Playmaker who joined Juventus’ youth team back in 2014 and remains under contract with the Bianconeri. Made his debut for Juve in 2019, starting a Serie A game alongside the likes of Paulo Dybala and Joao Cancelo. Regularly appeared in Serie A on loan with Salernitana this past season.

MATIJA SPOLJARIC MIDFIELD ARIS LIMASSOL AGE 25 CAPS 13 GOALS 0 The son of an ex-Cyprus international who was born in Croatia, Spoljaric is one of three brothers who have played in the country’s top division. Has an eye for goal and scored eight times in 28 appearances for Aris across the previous season. Represented Serbia at youth level but debuted for Cyprus’ senior team in 2019. AGE 19 CAPS 0 GOALS 0 Teenager who is the son of Marinos Satsias, who won 65 caps for Cyprus and spent his entire 19-year career with APOEL. Giannis is on the books of APOEL as well and, though he has yet to win his first senior cap, he was first called up to the senior squad back in 2020. ANORTHOSIS FAMAGUSTA AGE 29 CAPS 59 GOALS 1 Currently Cyprus’ captain. Spent time at Nottingham Forest’s academy but returned to his homeland in 2012 and, bar a one-season loan spell in Greece, has spent his entire career in Cyprus. Played for Cyprus at under-17, under-19 and under-21 level before making his senior bow in 2012. Scored in a 4-0 victory over San Marino in 2019. PIEROS SOTIRIOU FORWARD LUDOGORETS AGE 29 CAPS 55 GOALS 12 The most prolific player in this squad, no one has scored more international goals in this group than Sotiriou. He won four titles with APOEL before moving to Copenhagen in Denmark. Has since played club football in Kazakhstan and Bulgaria and is coming off a fine season in which he scored 17 league goals for Ludogorets. GIANNIS SATSIAS MIDFIELD APOEL

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IOANNIS PITTAS FORWARD APOLLON LIMASSOL

LOIZOS LOIZOU FORWARD OMONOIA

MARINOS TZIONIS FORWARD SPORTING KANSAS CITY AGE 20 CAPS 16 GOALS 1 Ex-Omonoia winger who made the move to MLS back in January. Born and raised in Nicosia, he scored 15 goals in 88 appearances for Omonoia and represented Cyprus at under-17 and under-19 level before first playing for the senior side in 2020. Scored his first senior goal in a win over Estonia in March. AGE 25 CAPS 26 GOALS 1 The son of Pambos Pittas, a defender who won 82 caps for Cyprus and captained the country. Pittas Junior has spent his entire career with Apollon Limassol and has reached double figures for goals in the league in each of the past two campaigns. Scored his first international goal in March 2021.

AGE 18 CAPS 17 GOALS 1 Exciting teenager who has been a regular for Omonoia across the past two seasons, winning one league title and a cup. Credits receiving a rocket from Neil Lennon earlier in the year for helping him improve. Despite being just 18, he won his first cap back in 2020.

ANDRONIKOS KAKOULLIS FORWARD OMONOIA AGE 21 CAPS 9 GOALS 1

Another youngster who has come through the Omonoia academy in recent years. Played 50 games in all competitions for Omonoia this past season, scoring nine times. Played for Cyprus at under-17, under-19 and under-21 level before first appearing for the senior side in 2020. Scored his first senior international goal in November 2021.

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WORDS: LIAM BLACKBURN

FACT FILE: CYPRUS

• Only one man has won over 100 caps for Cyprus. That is Ioannis Okkas, who played for his country 106 times between 1997 and 2011. Having previously been part of the coaching set-up with the senior side, Okkas is currently in charge of Cyprus’ Under-21s. • Okkas scored 27 times for Cyprus, which is second in the all-time list behind Michalis Konstantinou, who found the net 32 times in 86 appearances between 1997 and 2012. • Both Okkas and Konstantinou were part of the Cyprus squad when they recorded some memorable results in the qualifiers for Euro 2008. After losing 6-1 to Slovakia in their first game of the group, Cyprus shocked the Republic of Ireland with a 5-2 success in the next game as Konstantinou scored twice. • Okkas was then on target when Cyprus held Germany to a famous 1-1 draw in Nicosia before they beat Wales 3-1 at home. They then held the Republic to a 1-1 draw in Dublin, when only a late Steve Finnan goal prevented Cyprus from doing the double. • Cyprus also claimed a memorable result in their group for Euro 2012 qualification when they drew 4-4 with Portugal . • The nation thought Cyprus were going to secure a play-off berth to determine if they would reach Euro 2016 when they led Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-1 in the final group game. However, a 3-2 loss meant it was the Bosnians who would finish third and claim the play-off spot instead. • Cyprus’ first official international was against Israel in 1960, which they drew 1-1 in Nicosia as part of the qualifiers for the 1962 World Cup. • The victory over Northern Ireland in 1974 was one of the country’s most memorable results until they managed to claim a 1-1 draw against Italy in February 1983. At the time the Italians were the reigning world champions. • Typically much stronger at home than they were on their travels, Cyprus did not record their first qualifying victory away from home until beating the Faroe Islands 2-0 in 1992. • The country’s biggest wins were 5-0 successes over Andorra in 2000 and 2014, and against San Marino in 2019. The biggest defeat Cyprus have suffered was a 12-0 loss to West Germany in 1969.

INTERNATIONAL • Having only played against Northern Ireland twice since 1973 prior to this month, Cyprus face Ian Baraclough’s men for the second time in the space of eight days. All three of the most recent meetings have ended goalless. • Mark Williams captained Sammy McIlroy’s team in a friendly in Belfast in 2002 when the honours were even. • Twelve years later the two countries met again in Nicosia with Michael O’Neill in charge of Northern Ireland. However, neither side could find a way through again in that friendly. The most notable incident of that night was a red card in the second half for defender Gareth McAuley. • Cyprus and Northern Ireland first met in qualifying for the 1972 Euros. Jimmy Nicholson, Derek Dougan and George Best were on target in a 3-0 win in Nicosia. All three scored again when Northern Ireland won 5-0 in the reverse fixture in Belfast , with Best netting a hat-trick. It was the only treble of his international career and his final goals for Northern Ireland. • Northern Ireland were once again paired with Cyprus in qualifying for the 1974 World Cup. This time Cyprus were victorious in Nicosia, with a 1-0 success that remains their only victory over Northern Ireland in their history. Northern Ireland won their home game, with Trevor Anderson scoring twice in a 3-0 success. • Cyprus have never qualified for a major international tournament . Their most recent placing in the FIFA World Rankings was 105th, sandwiched between Kenya and India. Their highest world ranking was 43rd, which they achieved in September 2010.

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• Prior to facing Greece on Thursday, Cyprus had not won an away game since recording back-to-back victories over San Marino and Kazakhstan in September and October 2019. They lost 11 of their next 13 away games, scoring just three times in that period. • The previous Nations League campaign was a disappointment for Cyprus and they had to beat Estonia in the play-outs to ensure they were not relegated out of League C, having finished bottom of a group with Montenegro, Luxembourg and Azerbaijan.

DOMESTIC • The Cypriot First Division is a 12-team league that runs from August through to May each season. • Most of the clubs, including APOEL and Omonoia, are based in the capital Nicosia, while there are also several teams in the southern cities of Larnaca and Limassol . • There have been three different champions across the past three campaigns, with Apollon Limassol winning their first title in a decade this term. Omonoia and APOEL won the two previous championships. • APOEL are the competition’s most successful club and have won 28 championships, seven more than Omonoia. APOEL won seven titles in a row between 2012 and 2019. • APOEL enjoyed a run to the quarter-finals of the 2011-12 Champions League. Having topped a group with Zenit Saint Petersburg, Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk, they beat Lyon on penalties in the round of 16 before being eliminated by Real Madrid. • Among those who managed clubs in the Cypriot First Division this past season were former Northern Ireland international Neil Lennon (Omonoia) , former Newcastle United midfielder Temuri Ketsbaia (Anorthosis Famagusta) and one-time Leeds United boss Darko Milanic (Pafos) . • Jordi Gomez, an FA Cup winner with Wigan Athletic, captained Omonoia, while former Crystal Palace midfielder Jason Puncheon was the skipper at Pafos. • Two Northern Ireland internationals have played in the division. Ex-Glentoran, Newcastle United and Burnley man Tommy Cassidy ended his career with APOEL , and later led them to a title as their manager. Current international Kyle Lafferty had a short spell with Anorthosis Famagusta last year.

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