Žalgiris' opponent – an ambitious newcomer from Cyprus

2024-07-23 15:00

For the first time in UEFA tournaments, "Žalgiris" will face an opponent from Cyprus - the winner of the cup from this country will be "Pafos FC".

The club, which has been active for a decade, boasts a solid budget and the experience of foreign leaders, coaches, and players, nurturing significant ambitions.

A new project

The city of Paphos in Western Cyprus is well-known as a tourist destination, but it has not made a name for itself in football. Previous local clubs wandered between the first and second divisions. In 2014, it was decided to combine the existing clubs into one - "Pafos" FC was established. In 2015, it earned the right to play in the top league and then fell into a lower division.

In 2017, it returned to the top league and attracted investors from Russia. Roman Dubovas, who has been the chairman of the Cyprus club's board for five years, is a well-known investor in the sports world. He gained fame in football several years ago when he was one of the managers of "Portsmouth" club in England for three years.

A less public figure is Pafos president, billionaire Sergei Lomakin, whose football group controls two more clubs - three-time Latvian champion "Riga" FC and Moscow's "Rodina", which plays in the Russian second division.

The wide connections of this group also include "Akritas Chlorakas", which plays in the second division of Cyprus, and the Latvian club "Auda" - many players and coaches have transitioned between the mentioned group’s teams and these clubs.

Inviting stars

"Pafos" has perhaps the largest financial backing among these clubs. According to public data, in 2023, the club's revenue reached nearly 24 million euros - one of the largest figures among Cypriot clubs.

Hoping to rise up, "Pafos" owners invited previously famous footballers to the team - including Scott Steven Pressley, Norwegian Henning Berg, Ukrainian Dmytro Michailenko, Spaniard Michel Salgado, and the club's technical director was Gaizka Mendieta.

Despite this, "Pafos" struggled for a long time to break into the elite of the competitive Cypriot league, which has long been dominated by clubs from Nicosia, Larnaca, and Limassol with lengthy traditions.

In 2022, the Paphos club reached the top six for the first time, competing in the latter half of the season for places in Europe.

The 2022-2023 season was one of the most successful for "Pafos" - securing the highest - 4th place, but it was not enough to qualify for European tournaments.

A colleague of a famous strategist

Last summer, the team was led by Spanish coach Juan Carlos Carcedo.

In this specialist's career, he has worked with clubs such as "Valencia," "Sevilla," "Arsenal," and "P.S.G." Almost since the beginning of his coaching career (13 years in total), he has been an assistant to Unai Emery, competing for many trophies together.

Beginning his head coach path, J. Carcedo did not stay long with "Ibiza" and "Zaragoza" clubs in the Spanish second division.

Under J. Carcedo's leadership, "Pafos" finished 5th in the league, but they secured the Cypriot Cup and through it earned the right to compete in the UEFA Europa Conference League.

Unsuccessful debut

The Cypriot football season ended in mid-May, and the new one is set to start in mid-August. In preparation for the new season, "Pafos" managed to play three friendly matches, including a 0:0 draw against Athens' "Panathinaikos" and a 1:0 victory over Warsaw's "Legia".

However, their debut in Europe went poorly for the Cypriot club. In the first match in Sweden against "Elfsborg," the Paphos team conceded a goal in the 9th minute, and in the second half received a red card, conceded two more goals, and lost 0:3.

In the second encounter, "Pafos" played a man down from the start. Despite this, the team won the first half 2:1, but after the break, they conceded four goals - 2:5. Interestingly, in both matches, the Cypriot team had greater ball possession.

Abundance of foreign players

Like many Cypriot clubs (the Cypriot championship ranks second in Europe for the number of foreign players, only behind Andorra), "Pafos" has a team mainly composed of legionnaires. A large group of Portuguese-speaking players exists - 6 Brazilians and 3 Portuguese. In the first match in Sweden, "Pafos" had 11 foreign players in the starting lineup.

Among the Cypriot players, newcomer Marios Ilia stands out - he was the top scorer in last season's Cypriot league (19 goals, 9 assists).

The longest-serving players on the team are Finn Onni Valakari, Czech Josefs Kvida (both 4 years), as well as Romanian Vlad Dragomir and Brazilian team captain Jairo (both 3 years).

The core of "Pafos" defense consists of experienced players: in goal is 29-year-old Ivica Ivusičius, who has played over 150 matches in the Croatian championship, while the defensive duo often comprises 27-year-old J. Kvida, who has experience in Dutch football, and Spaniard David Goldar, who has worked with the team’s coach multiple times, at 29.

In the holding zone, the 29-year-old Senegalese Moustapha Name, who previously played in "Ligue 2," is rarely substituted. With him in the midfield vital role is also played by 25-year-old V. Dragomir.

Most of the goals scored by "Pafos" last season came from two players: former Split "Hajduk" striker Jairo (17 goals) and Bosnian-born attacking midfielder Muamer Tanković (16 goals), who has played in Greece, Sweden, and the Netherlands and even featured in several matches in the English Premier League. Attacking midfielder O. Valakari added 7 goals.

Ghanaian forward Patrick Twumasi began his European career in Latvia with Jūrmala's "Spartak," representing Kazakhstan's "Astana" and played against "Žalgiris" in the Champions League qualifiers, later appearing in clubs in Spain, Germany, Turkey, and Israel.

Midfielders Pepe, Bruno, and Mamadou Kane have played for Piraeus' "Olympiacos," and the newest signing for "Pafos" is defender Derrick Lukassen, who began his career at Alkmaar AZ and Eindhoven PSV, later playing in Turkey and Israel.

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The first match between "Žalgiris" and "Pafos" will take place on Thursday, July 25, in Vilnius at LFF Stadium.