Cyprus national football team
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| Cyprus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Association | Cyprus Football Association | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach |  Angelos Anastasiadis (2004-) |
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| Captain | Ioannis Okkas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Most caps | Pambos Pittas & Ioannis Okkas (82) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top scorer | Michalis Konstantinou (24) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home stadium | Neo GSP Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIFA code | CYP | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIFA ranking | 58 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest FIFA ranking | 57 (October 2007) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lowest FIFA ranking | 113 (March 2005) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elo ranking | 81 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest Elo ranking | 64 (July 1949) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lowest Elo ranking | 141 (March 1992) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| First international | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Israel 3 - 1 Cyprus  (Tel-Aviv, Israel; July 30, 1949) |
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| Biggest win | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cyprus 5 - 0 Andorra  (Limassol, Cyprus; November 15, 2000) |
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| Biggest defeat | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 West Germany 12 - 0 Cyprus (Essen, Germany; May 21, 1969) |
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The Cyprus national football team is the national football team of the island of Cyprus and is controlled by the Cyprus Football Association. They have never reached the finals of either the European Championships or the World Cup.
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[edit] History
Their first match was a friendly on 23 July 1949, against Maccabi Tel-Aviv in Tel Aviv which ended in a 3-3 draw, one year after becoming a member of the world governing body FIFA. Seven days later the team had its first international game, a 3-1 defeat against Israel in the same city. In November 1960, following independence from British rule, Cyprus drew its first post-independence official match 1-1 against Israel, as part of the 1962 FIFA World Cup qualifying tournament.
Cyprus' first international victory was a 3-1 win against beating Greece on 27 November in a friendly. On 17 February 1968 Cyprus recorded their first competitive win, beating Switzerland 2-1 in a European Championship qualifying match in Nicosia.
In 1974, the national team enjoyed one of their most famous victories when they beat a Northern Ireland side 1-0 in Nicosia. On 12 February 1983, as part of the Euro 1984 qualifiers, Cyprus held world champions Italy to a 1-1 draw in Nicosia, followed a moth later by the same result against Czechoslovakia. In 1989 they drew 1-1 with France in World Cup qualifying match. Despite a number of triumphs on home soil, Cyprus had to wait until 1992 to record their first away win, a 2-0 victory in the Faroe Islands.
Results in qualifying tournaments have also improved considerably in recent times. In the qualifying stages for the 1996 UEFA European Championship, Cyprus drew 1-1 with holders Denmark. Four years later, they missed out on a place in the 2000 European Football Championship by a solitary point, 3-2 victories against Spain and Israel and a 4-0 defeat of San Marino contributing to the team finishing on 12 points, just one point behind Israel and Austria.
On 7 October 2006, as part of the Euro 2008 qualifiers Cyprus caused a major upset by beating Republic of Ireland 5-2 at home with Michalis Konstantinou and Constantinos Charalambides each scoring two goals and Alexandros Garpozis one goal. On 15 November 2006, they caused another surprise by holding the World Cup semi-finalists Germany to a 1-1 draw at home. On 13 October 2007, they won over Wales.
[edit] Kit
On 7 October 2006 the Cypriot squad debuted their new Diadora kit. The new white kit displays part of the map of Cyprus in amber from the shoulder to the sleeve with a green line running down the middle indicating the division of the island.
[edit] Home stadium
Cyprus currently plays home matches at the New GSP Stadium, in Nicosia. Home matches had previously been staged at different stadiums all around the country. Until 1974 Cyprus used either the old GSP Stadium in central Nicosia, or the stadium in Famagusta. After the Turkish invasion, some matches were played at Limassol. In 1999, the building of the New GSP Stadium in Nicosia provided a new home for the national team. Since then all competitive games have been played there, with friendlies sometimes played at other stadiums.
[edit] World Cup record
[edit] European Championship record
[edit] FIFA World Cup qualification
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[edit] European Championship 2008
Key:
- Teams highlighted in green are certain of qualification.
- Teams highlighted in red are unable to qualify.
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[edit] Last match
| November 21, 2007 18:15 EET |
Cyprus |
0 – 2 |  Czech Republic |
GSP Stadium, Nicosia Attendance: 8,000 Referee: Levan Paniashvili (Georgia) |
| Report | Pudil  11'Koller 74' |
[edit] Managers
| Name | Career |
|---|---|
| Angelos Anastasiadis |
2004 - current |
 Momčilo Vukotić |
2001 - 2004 |
| Stavros Papadopoulos |
1999 - 2001 |
| Panikos Georgiou |
1997 - 1999 |
| Andreas Michailidis |
1991 - 1997 |
| Panikos Ioakovou |
1984 - 1991 |
 Bazile Spasov |
1982 - 1984 |
| Kostas Talianos |
1977 - 1982 |
| Panikos Krystalis |
1976 - 1977 |
| Pambos Avraamidis |
1972 - 1976 |
 Ray Wood |
1970 - 1972 |
| Pambos Avraamidis |
1968 - 1970 |
| Argyrios Gavalas |
1960 - 1968 |
 Gyula Zsengellér |
1958 - 1959 |
[edit] Squad
The following players named for the friendly match against Ukraine on February 6, 2008.
Caps and goals as of 7 February 2008, included against Ukraine.
[edit] Goalkeepers
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[edit] Defenders
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[edit] Midfielders
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[edit] Strikers
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[edit] References
[edit] External links
- RSSSF archive of results 1949-
- RSSSF archive of most capped players and highest goalscorers
- RSSSF archive of coaches 1929-
- Cyprus national football team
