Elad Madmon’s late goal salvaged a 1-1 draw for Maccabi Tel Aviv at Pafos FC in the first leg of UEFA Champions League second-round qualifying at the Limassol Stadium late Tuesday in Cyprus.
The yellow-and-blue and the Cypriot club played neck-and-neck over the course of 80 minutes, but a stunning bicycle-kick goal by Mons Bassouamina in the box broke the deadlock and handed the hosts a 1-0 lead.
With Zarko Lazetic’s squad pressing for the equalizer ahead of the second leg, Madmon came on for Weslley Patati in the 88th minute and headed home a Roy Revivo cross deep into second-half injury time to knot the match and head into the return leg with positive momentum.
The second leg will take place next Wednesday in Backa Topola, Serbia, as Maccabi will look to advance to the third round of qualifying, where it will face the winner of the Dynamo Kyiv and Hamrun Spartans matchup. The Ukrainian side will head into that second leg holding a 3-0 lead.
Should the yellow-and-blue not advance to the next round of Champions League qualifying, it will drop down to the third round of Europa League qualifying, where they will face the loser of the matchup between Kyiv and the Maltese squad.
“We should be happy because we conceded a goal out of nowhere, a wonderful goal by them,” Maccabi Tel Aviv coach Zarko Lazetic began following the game. “This is the first half that is now over, and we need to give it our all in the next game and be brave, as the chances we advance are still 50-50. It was very hot here and the players suffered, but we dominated the game for the majority of the time. However, Pafos have good players who put us in danger with their attacks. Now we have time to rest up and prepare for the second game.”
'We had good moments, but we were unable to maintain them'
“It was really amazing what we saw here, and the result is unfair,” Pafos bench boss Juan Carlos Carcedo exclaimed. “We had good moments, but we were unable to maintain them, and now everything is open. We tried to put pressure on Maccabi Tel Aviv from the first moment, but our new players arrived in the middle of the preparation time for this match, and it is very difficult to teach everything in just a few days. We could have scored a second goal, but the opponent punished us in the end.”
Madmon, who scored the dramatic equalizer, was very emotional after the goal.
“This is my best goal, period. It’s very exciting for me considering the situation,” he said. “I’m happy that I am able to contribute to the team, especially so late in the match. However, we’re not done yet. We’ll recover from this game, see what we can improve, and come into the next game even more prepared.”
Former Maccabi defender and current Pafos center back Derrick Luckassen shared his thoughts on the draw.
“We are disappointed with the result. When you blow the game in the last minute, it’s an awful feeling. I believe that the game was 50-50. Maccabi Tel Aviv played well, but we played well too. But we are capable of playing even better, and we have to win the next game.”