F.C. Copenhagen in the Europa League

The tight first leg lead of 1-0 did in fact prove too narrow for a spot in the Champions League as F.C. Copenhagen lost 3-1 to APOEL in the reverse game in Cyprus. A most dreadful first half display meant that the team had a mountain to climb after the break and although play in some ways did improve, F.C. Copenhagen never truly recovered from the opening shock that saw APOEL turn the tie around completely in just eighteen minutes, capitalizing on two huge blunders in a wobbly Copenhagen defence.

By Lars Kristensen
However, tripping at the very doorstep to UEFA’s premier club competition is far from being the end of this year’s European involvement. The new European format offers the play-off losers an immediate opportunity to make amends as they are moved to the group phase of the newborn Europa League instead. Here, F.C. Copenhagen is indeed seeded to go all the way to the knockout stages in the spring, and so, as the players recover from Wednesday’s heavy defeat, the fans may take some comfort from the fact that the stage actually seems set for a repeat performance of the team’s record run of last season.

Jesper Christiansen
- We expected an onslaught in the opening stage of the game and came prepared to battle it out but we make so many and such huge mistakes in the first half – I just cannot understand it! Their opener shakes us and then we dish out a stupid penalty. Slowly but surely we fight our way back into the game, and we do in fact produce enough chances to progress but in the end up we pay the price for those miserable first forty-five minutes.

William Kvist
There were just too many mistakes in the opening twenty minutes. After the break we get the better of them but our finishing lacks quality. We have fought for this for so long and at this moment the disappointment seems almost unbearable.

Jesper Grønkjær
- I insist that we are in fact the better team, but, as it happens, they are the ones who will play in the Champions League. It is really very frustrating. With all due respect – if you are not able to go past a team like APOEL you do not belong in the CL. That is were all the big boys play and we just did not play as such today.

The Europa League group draw begins Friday at 13.00 CET in Monaco.

Game stats:

APOEL FC – F.C. Copenhagen 3-1 (3-1)
1-0 Kosowski (2)
2-0 Michail (18,pen)
2-1 N'Doye (22)
3-1 Michail (42)
Spectators: 20,000