2015–16 APOEL FC season

The 2015–16 season was APOEL's 76th season in the Cypriot First Division and 88th year in existence as a football club.

APOEL
2015–16 season
ChairmanProdromos Petrides
ManagerDomingos Paciência
(Until 28 August 2015)
Temur Ketsbaia
(28 August 2015 – 20 April 2016)
Georgios Kostis
(Caretaker:From 20 April 2016)
StadiumGSP Stadium, Nicosia
Cypriot First Division1st
Cypriot CupSemi-finals
Cypriot Super CupRunners-up
UEFA Champions LeaguePlay-off round
UEFA Europa LeagueGroup stage
Top goalscorerLeague:
Fernando Cavenaghi (19)

All:
Fernando Cavenaghi (23)
Highest home attendance17,699 vs Astana
(26 August 2015 – UEFA Champions League)
Lowest home attendance2,734 vs Nea Salamina
(27 January 2016 – Cypriot Cup)
Average home league attendance8,359 (all competitions)

Season review

Head coach changes

August 2015: On 28 August 2015, APOEL terminated Domingos Paciência's contract, following the team's failure to reach the UEFA Champions League group stage after being eliminated by FC Astana in the play-offs of the competition.[1] At the same day, Paciência was replaced by Georgian coach Temur Ketsbaia, who signed a two-year contract with the club.[2]

April 2016: On 21 April 2016, one day after APOEL's elimination in the Cypriot Cup semi-finals by Apollon Limassol, Temur Ketsbaia's contract with APOEL was mutually terminated,[3] although at that moment the team were four points clear at the top of the league with only four matches remaining. The same day, APOEL's assistant coach Georgios Kostis, took over as caretaker manager for the team's remaining four crucial league games of the season.[3]

Pre-season and friendlies

The first training session for the season took place on 18 June 2015 at APOEL's training centre.[4] On 23 June 2015 the team flew to Gniewino in Poland to perform the main stage of their pre-season training and returned to Cyprus on 5 July 2015.[5][6] During the pre-season training stage in Poland, APOEL played five friendly matches. They won 2–0 FK Atlantas, drew 0–0 with Lech Poznań and lost three times against Lechia Gdańsk (1–4), Arka Gdynia (1–2) and Lech Poznań (0–3). After their return to Cyprus, APOEL played one friendly match, beating Doxa Katokopias 4–0 at Makario Stadium on 8 July 2015. In between their UEFA Champions League qualifying campaign APOEL played three more friendly matches, beating 2–1 Ermis Aradippou, drawing 1–1 with Olympiakos Nicosia and winning Greek side Asteras Tripoli 3–2.

Cypriot Super Cup

APOEL's double success last season meant that Cypriot cup runners-up AEL Limassol would be their super cup opponents.

On 12 August 2015, APOEL was defeated 4–3 by AEL Limassol in a penalty shootout after a goalless draw at GSP Stadium.[7] It was a match of few chances with both sides unable to muster any clear cut opportunity to get the breakthrough. The Cypriot Super Cup has no extra-time and so the match went straight to the lottery of a penalty shootout. After four accurate spot-kicks, Marios Antoniades shot wide at 2–2, while another miss for APOEL through Georgios Efrem turned the odds further into AEL’s favour. An excellent save by Boy Waterman and a successful spot kick from Tomás De Vincenti gave APOEL hope but at 3–3, AEL's captain Marios Nicolaou tuck away the decisive penalty and hand AEL the first trophy of the campaign.

Regular season

On 22 August 2015, APOEL opened their competitive season with an impressive 5–1 win at Ammochostos Stadium against Ermis Aradippou. Tomás De Vincenti gave APOEL the lead after nine minutes and ten minutes later Luís Leal registered his first goal for the club to make it 2–0. Semir Štilić also got his first goal for the club in the 26th minute and Luís Leal grabbed his second goal of the game six minutes later. Andreas Vasilogiannis scored Ermis' consolation goal in the 56th minute and Constantinos Charalambides added a fifth goal for APOEL on 63 minutes with a finish from close range. On 30 August 2015, APOEL thrashed Pafos FC 6–2 at GSP Stadium in Temur Ketsbaia's debut as APOEL's head coach. Vinícius broke the deadlock after 33 minutes with a close range header from a Constantinos Charalambides' corner. Joël Damahou leveled the proceedings in the 39th minute after beating Boy Waterman with a powerful strike, but Tomás De Vincenti regained APOEL's lead two minutes later. Constantinos Charalambides scored his team's third goal at the hour mark, before Vinícius score his second from close range after a Nektarios Alexandrou's cross. Fernando Cavenaghi got his debut on 75 minutes and ten minutes later grabbed his first goal for APOEL with an amazing back-heel, before scoring his second goal deep into stoppage time after receiving Vander's pass. Georgian defender Gia Grigalava had scored for Pafos at the other end moments earlier with a sublime free-kick. On 12 September 2015, APOEL dropped their first league points of the season as they drew 2–2 away to AEK Larnaca. AEK took the lead late in the first half when José Kanté headed past APOEL goalkeeper Boy Waterman. AEK's former winger Vander levelled the score in the 68th minute with a powerful shot from the edge of the box, but parity lasted only seven minutes as Juanma Ortiz crossed for the unmarked Jorge Monteiro to score at the far post. APOEL's star signing Fernando Cavenaghi equalised with virtually his first touch after coming on as a substitute nine minutes from the end. On 21 September 2015, APOEL claimed a hard-fought 1–0 win over Doxa Katokopias at Makario Stadium and moved to the top of the standings, although the three points came at a price after Carlão, Iñaki Astiz and Pieros Sotiriou all suffered injuries. APOEL secured the victory in the 13th minute when Fernando Cavenaghi – who was celebrating his 32nd birthday – won and converted a penalty, firing beyond Alexandre Negri for his fourth goal in three games. On 26 September 2016, APOEL put their injury problems aside after putting on a dominant performance in a 4–0 thrashing of Aris Limassol at GSP Stadium. Fernando Cavenaghi opened the scoring from the penalty spot midway through the first half, while a goal by Georgios Efrem doubled APOEL's advantage before the break. Argentinian Tomás De Vincenti wrapped up the scoring with a brace, netting his goals at the beginning and end of the second half. On 5 October 2015, APOEL stayed top of the table alongside AEK Larnaca after breezing to a 5–0 win away to Enosis Neon Paralimni. APOEL took the lead on 12 minutes through a Tomás De Vincenti free-kick and Vander made it 2–0 at the half-hour mark with a shot from outside the area. Georgios Efrem scored the third on 51 minutes, before Fernando Cavenaghi score twice in 62nd and 65th minute. On 17 October 2015, APOEL continued their free-scoring league form under Temur Ketsbaia after thrashing AEL Limassol 6–0 at home and remained alone atop league standings. Georgios Efrem scored twice from outside the box in the first fifteen minutes to give his team an early two-goal lead. Fernando Cavenaghi grabbed his first hat-trick in Cyprus, while Kostakis Artymatas scored his first ever goal for APOEL. On 26 October 2015, APOEL stretched their lead at the top of the table to three points after an astonishing 9–0 win against Nea Salamina at Ammochostos Stadium. The carnage began early, as in the 2nd minute Georgios Efrem opened the scoring and it was already 4–0 by half-time after goals by Semir Štilić, Tomás De Vincenti and Dragan Žarković (own goal). Tomás De Vincenti netted another one early in the second half, while Vinícius and Piątkowski also scored to increase APOEL's lead. Fernando Cavenaghi scored twice in the last ten minutes, snatching a total of twelve goals in seven league matches. On 31 October 2015, APOEL maintained their lead atop the standings with a difficult 3–0 victory over Ethnikos Achnas at GSP Stadium. APOEL managed to break the deadlock after 69 minutes, when Constantinos Charalambides received a Fernando Cavenaghi's pass and from close range riffled the ball past Ethnikos' goalkeeper. Tomás De Vincenti doubled the advantage six minutes from time, while Vinícius added a third goal for APOEL in the last minute of the match. On 9 November 2015, APOEL's six-game winning streak came to an end after a thrilling 2–2 away draw against rivals Omonia. Omonia got off to the perfect start as Renato Margaça took advantage of a lapse in APOEL's defence and slid the ball under the advancing Boy Waterman. APOEL were level in the 15th minute after Fernando Cavenaghi created space for himself outside the box and sidefooted the ball past Omonia keeper. Fernando Cavenaghi gave APOEL the lead in the 51st minute after some great approach play involving Tomás De Vincenti and Vander, but Omonia equalized 15 minutes from time when Cillian Sheridan converted a penalty won by Nuno Assis. On 21 November 2015, APOEL suffered their first league defeat of the season, losing 0–2 at home to Anorthosis, but remained at the top of the table level on points with AEK Larnaca. In a game of few chances, especially in the opening 45 minutes, Anorthosis took the lead in the 69th minute through João Victor and made certain of the three points after Dino Ndlovu converted a late penalty. On 30 November 2015, a Fernando Cavenaghi penalty in the half hour mark was enough for APOEL to clinch all three points against bottom of the table Ayia Napa and move two points clear at the top the table after a difficult 1–0 away win. On 5 December 2015, APOEL suffered their consecutive home defeat after losing 0–1 to Apollon Limassol and dropped from the first place for the first time in the season. Abraham Gneki Guié's goal in the 58th minute was enough to give Apollon the three points and to drop APOEL to the third place of the league table, one point behind the leading duo AEK Larnaca and Anorthosis. On 14 December 2015, APOEL claimed a hard-fought 2–0 win over Ermis Aradippou at GSP Stadium and remained one point behind leaders AEK and Anorthosis. Fernando Cavenaghi scored his 16th league goal from the penalty spot in the 64th minute and eight minutes before the end Tomás De Vincenti scored from inside the box to seal the win for APOEL. On 19 December 2015, APOEL maintained the pressure on the leading duo after a difficult but deserved 1–0 win against Pafos FC at Pafiako Stadium. Vander scored the all-important goal in the 14th minute with a close range header after a Georgios Efrem cross. On 22 December 2015, APOEL fell to their third league defeat of the season after losing 1–2 at home to leaders AEK Larnaca and remained to the third place, four points behind AEK. João Guilherme gave APOEL a dream start when he scored after only three minutes, but AEK hit back after 31 minutes through David Català. The score remained 1–1 until the 72nd minute when André Alves hit the winner for AEK after an accurate low cross from Tete. On 3 January 2016, APOEL suffered a second consecutive home defeat after losing 1–2 to Doxa Katokopias and dropped to the fourth place, seven points behind leaders AEK Larnaca. Doxa took the lead in the 10th minute through Edmar, while APOEL drew level twenty minutes from the end when substitute Pieros Sotiriou beat Evagoras Hadjifrangiskou from close range. Doxa nicked the three points at the fifth minute of added time when APOEL defender Mário Sérgio handled in the box and Paulinho thumped the ball past Boy Waterman from the penalty spot. On 10 January 2016, APOEL bounced back from two consecutive league defeats by beating Aris Limassol 2–1 at Tsirion Stadium and moved up to the third place, seven points off top spot. Tomás De Vincenti scored on incredible solo effort to give APOEL the lead after 31 minutes, netting his tenth league goal of the season. Pieros Sotiriou doubled his team's advantage with a nice header in the 52nd minute, while Aris only managed to pull one goal back twenty minutes before the end with Mathew Boniface. On 17 January 2016, APOEL claimed a convincing 3–0 home win over Enosis Neon Paralimni and remained in third place, four points behind leaders AEK Larnaca. Nuno Morais broke the deadlock after 41 minutes when he tried to cross the ball toward the center of the box and tricked Enosis goalkeeper and four minutes later Fernando Cavenaghi scored from the penalty spot to double APOEL's lead. Giannis Gianniotas added a third one with a powerful shot from outside the area in the 63rd minute, to score his first goal for APOEL. On 24 January 2016, APOEL continued their surge back to the top with a convincing 1–0 win over AEL Limassol at Tsirion Stadium and closed the gap on league leaders AEK Larnaca to two points. The only goal of the game came early in the second half from Portuguese captain Nuno Morais who beat Matías Degra from just inside the area with a fierce drive. On 30 January 2016, APOEL continued their surge to the top with an impressive 6–1 home win against Nea Salamina and moved up to the second place, two points behind AEK Larnaca. The teams were level at half time after an early opener by Pieros Sotiriou and a penalty by Dimitar Makriev in the 14th minute. In the second half APOEL poured forward, proving too strong for Nea Salamina. Argentinian Tomás De Vincenti started and finished the second-half rout with Vander, Vinícius and Fernando Cavenaghi scoring in between. On 7 February 2016, APOEL beat Ethnikos Achna 3–1 at Dasaki Stadium and returned to top of the table, one point ahead of AEK Larnaca who lost 3–1 to Omonia. Pieros Sotiriou opened the scoring in the 17th minute, heading home from close range and three minutes before the break he doubled his side's lead, after taking the ball past Martin Bogatinov to finish into an empty net. Fernando Cavenaghi added a third from the penalty spot on 67 minute, while Marios Elia managed just to put Ethnikos on the scoresheet with a fine goal in the 90th minute. On 13 February 2016, APOEL easily beat arch-rivals Omonia 2–0 and remained atop league standings, one point ahead of AEK Larnaca. Former Omonia skipper Georgios Efrem haunted his old club after scoring twice in the first half. In the 9th minute, Tomás De Vincenti's cross from the right wing met by the Cypriot winger who finished well with his left inside the six-yard-box. Three minutes before the break Efrem grabbed his second, firing past the helpless Constantinos Panagi after receiving Giannis Gianniotas' low cross from the right side of the area. On 21 February 2016, APOEL beat Anorthosis 2–1 at Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium in the big match of the weekend to maintain their one-point lead over AEK Larnaca at the top of the table. Two first-half goals by Pieros Sotiriou and Tomás De Vincenti were enough to give APOEL the three points. Despite reducing the deficit early in the second half through Dino Ndlovu, Anorthosis did little else with APOEL always looking the more likely team to score. On 27 February 2016, APOEL had few problems against Ayia Napa as they defeated the already relegated team 3–0 at home. Georgios Efrem opened the score early in the game, with Vander and Efstathios Aloneftis completing the score. On 2 March 2016, APOEL won Apollon Limassol 1–0 at Tsirion Stadium and ended the regular season atop the league standings, one point ahead of AEK Larnaca. Georgios Efrem scored the winning goal just six minutes into the match, while Apollon missed a great chance to equalize five minutes later, when Alex da Silva's penalty hit the bar.

Play-offs

On 5 March 2016, in the opening round of the championship play-offs, APOEL managed a narrow 1–0 win away to Nea Salamina thanks to Carlão's strike late in the first half and opened up a three-point lead at the top, following AEK Larnaca's 2–2 draw with Apollon Limassol. On 12 March 2016, APOEL came from behind to beat arch-rivals Omonia 2–1 at GSP Stadium and preserved their three-point lead at the top of the table. Against the run of play, Omonia took the lead in 35th minute when a mix up in the APOEL defence allowed Bebê to weave past a couple of players and curl the ball past Urko Pardo. The lead lasted just seven minutes as APOEL piled on the pressure and were rewarded when Georgios Efrem blasted the ball past keeper from inside the box after receiving Zhivko Milanov's low cross from the right. The winner came just six minutes from time from Brazilian winger Vander who rolled the ball into an empty net after taking the rebound of Tomás De Vincenti's shoot which rattled the woodwork. On 20 March 2016, APOEL took a huge step towards their fourth consecutive league title after crushing challengers AEK Larnaca 3–0 at GSZ Stadium and opened up a six-point gap at the top of the table. It took APOEL just eight minutes to breach AEK's defense as Tomás De Vincenti raced clear and beat the advancing Toño with a clever chip. Six minutes before the break, Georgios Efrem received the ball on the edge of the penalty box and curled the ball into the top-left corner for a memorable goal. AEK had a chance of getting back into the game in the 50th minute after referee awarded them a controversial penalty, but APOEL's keeper Urko Pardo managed to block André Alves shot from the spot. While AEK had no answers to APOEL's relentless pressure and quick attacks, Pieros Sotiriou provided the icing on the cake in the 74th minute when he beat the keeper from close range. On 2 April 2016, APOEL's twelve-game winning streak came to an end after a 2–2 home draw against Apollon Limassol and AEK Larnaca took advantage to move to within four points of the top of the table. Apollon took the lead after 22 minutes through Anton Maglica, but the advantage lasted just two of minutes as Carlão headed past keeper Bruno Vale after a Georgios Efrem cross. Alex da Silva put Apollon back in the lead before the break with a well-taken free-kick, but APOEL were fortunate to salvage a point thanks to a last-minute equaliser by former Apollon captain, Giorgos Merkis. On 9 April 2016, APOEL dropped points for the second straight match after a 1–1 away draw against Anorthosis and allowed second placed AEK Larnaca to move to within two points of the top. Constantinos Laifis beat APOEL keeper Urko Pardo from 20 metres out to give Anorthosis the lead in the 70th minute, but APOEL managed to equalize two minutes from time thanks to a well-taken free-kick by Giannis Gianniotas. On 16 April 2016, APOEL moved a step closer to their third consecutive championship title as they increased their lead at the top to four points, following their 4–1 home win against Nea Salamina and AEK Larnaca's 2–2 draw against Apollon Limassol. APOEL had few problems in defeating Nea Salamina with Semir Štilić, Pieros Sotiriou, Nuno Morais and Constantinos Charalambides getting on the scoresheet, with ex-APOEL player Aldo Adorno getting Salamina's consolation goal. On 23 April 2016, under caretaker coach Giorgos Kostis, APOEL beat arch-rivals Omonia 2–0 at GSP Stadium and moved a step closer to their fourth consecutive league title, as they maintained their four points advantage from AEK Larnaca, only three matches before the end. Greek winger Giannis Gianniotas was the hero for APOEL who scored both goals, after taking advantage of poor Omonia defending. The first goal came midway through the first half when he headed past Omonia keeper after Nektarios Alexandrou's cross from the left. A minute before the break, Pieros Sotiriou stole the ball from Omonia's defenders and passed to Gianniotas who slotted the ball past the oncoming goalkeeper from inside the area. On 28 April 2016, APOEL claimed their fourth consecutive league title after overcoming second placed AEK Larnaca 2–0 at a packed GSP Stadium. APOEL, which a few days ago parted ways with coach Temur Ketsbaia, had headed into the game four points ahead of AEK with caretaker manager Giorgos Kostis on charge. André Alves had missed the game's first big chance before a mistake by AEK defender led to a quick counter-attack involving Giannis Gianniotas and Vander and finished off by Pieros Sotiriou who had rounded the goalkeeper before scoring into an empty net just before halftime. Twenty minutes after the break APOEL made it 2–0, when Giannis Gianniotas was fouled in the area and the Greek winger picked himself up to score the penalty to secure APOEL's 25th Cypriot First Division title. On 7 May 2016, champions APOEL decided to rest many first-team players and saw their 17-match unbeaten run ended after suffering a 1–0 loss at Apollon Limassol thanks to a Luka Stojanović strike at the half-hour mark. On 15 May 2016, APOEL drew 2–2 at home against Anorthosis to break the club's best league scoring record with 91 goals and collect 83 points, the most points ever collected in a single season. Pieros Sotiriou put the champions ahead in the 12th minute but Efthimis Koulouris levelled just before the break. APOEL took the lead again through Tomás De Vincenti amazing free-kick with 56 minutes on the clock, but seven minutes later Anorthosis equalized via Andreas Makris. After the end of the match, celebrations followed as the APOEL's captain Constantinos Charalambides lifted the Cypriot First Division trophy in front of jubilant APOEL fans in the packed GSP Stadium.

Second round

APOEL won the Cypriot cup last season and as such entered the second round of this season competition. APOEL were drawn to face Cypriot First Division side Nea Salamina.

On 13 January 2016, APOEL secured a narrow 1–0 advantage over Nea Salamina at Ammochostos Stadium, thanks to a long-range goal from Nuno Morais goal just after the hour mark. On 27 January 2016, APOEL secured their place in Cypriot cup quarter-finals after beating again Nea Salamina 3–2 at Nicosia, to seal a 4–2 aggregate victory. APOEL got off to a flying start, as Argentine striker Fernando Cavenaghi opened the scoring after just nine minutes and Tomás De Vincenti doubled his team's advantage in the 36th minute. Early into the second-half Vinícius added his name on to the scoresheet to make it 3–0 (4–0 on aggregate), ending any faint hopes of a remarkable Nea Salamina comeback. The visitors managed to register a goal through Ivan Ćurjurić who converted a penalty in the 74th minute, and two minutes later they added a second via a thumping Liliu header.

Quarter-finals

In the Cypriot cup quarter-finals, APOEL were drawn to face Cypriot First Division side Aris Limassol. In the first leg of their Cypriot Cup quarter-finals clash on 10 February 2016, APOEL were held to a 1–1 draw by Aris Limassol at GSP Stadium. Randy opened the scoring for the visitors in the 15th minute, but their joy was short-lived as APOEL hit back just three minutes later through a Fernando Cavenaghi penalty, leaving the tie evenly balanced. On 17 February 2016, APOEL made it through to the semi-finals of the Cypriot Cup after a 3–1 win over Aris Limassol at Tsirion Stadium. Georgios Efrem broke the deadlock four minutes after the restart, but Markos Maragoudakis equalized for Aris just after the hour mark. Thirteen minutes before the end Tomás De Vincenti gave again APOEL the lead and Efstathios Aloneftis four minutes later kept Temur Ketsbaia's side on track for yet another domestic double.

Semi-finals

In the Cypriot cup semi-finals, APOEL were drawn to face Apollon Limassol. On 6 April 2016, in the first leg of their semi-final clash, APOEL were held to a 1–1 draw in Nicosia by Apollon Limassol. Apollon took the lead through Abraham Gneki Guié in the 21st minute after Giorgos Merkis' mistake and Pieros Sotiriou equalized just eight minutes later, with nobody unable to break the deadlock in the second half. On 20 April 2016, APOEL were defeated by Apollon Limassol 5–4 in a penalty shoot-out after a 1–1 draw at Tsirion Stadium and eliminated from the Cypriot Cup final, missing a great chance to defend their title for a third consecutive season. Alex Da Silva gave Apollon the lead with a direct free-kick after 45 minutes, but the lead was short-lived, with Georgios Efrem equalizing two minutes later, just a few seconds before the end of the first half. Despite of Vinícius was sent off after only five minutes of extra time and APOEL played with ten players for 25 minutes, there were no more goals until the end of the 120 minutes and the match went to penalties. Both sides scored all their first four penalties, before APOEL's defender Iñaki Astiz saw his effort saved by Apollon keeper Bruno Vale and Dejan Mezga made no mistake sending the ball past Urko Pardo to send Apollon to the final. On 21 April 2016, one day after APOEL's elimination in the Cypriot Cup semi-finals, coach Temur Ketsbaia's contract with APOEL was mutually terminated.[3]

Second qualifying round

APOEL won the Cypriot league last season and as such entered the second qualifying round of the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League.[8] APOEL were drawn to start their campaign against FK Vardar.[9]

On 14 July 2015, APOEL endured a frustrating opening Champions League campaign after being held to a 0–0 home draw by FK Vardar in the first leg of the second qualifying round. Domingos Paciência’s side had squandered numerous chances in the game particularly after 40th minute, following a cagey opening to the game. FK Vardar rarely threatened Boy Waterman’s goal while their own keeper Tome Pačovski was called into action on numerous occasions to foil Luís Leal, Tomás De Vincenti and Georgios Efrem.

On 21 July 2015, APOEL survived an early scare in their Champions League qualifying campaign, scraping through the second qualifying round on the away goals rule with a nervous 1–1 draw at Skopje over FK Vardar. Except some problems in finding the final touch, APOEL were always the superior team against Vardar and Tomás De Vincenti's goal on 60 minutes was enough to see them through the third qualifying round, despite Blagojče Ljamčevski's late equalizer.

Third qualifying round

APOEL were drawn to face Danish champions FC Midtjylland in the third qualifying round of the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League.[10]

On 28 July 2015, APOEL took big a step towards UEFA Champions League play-offs after an important 2–1 win against FC Midtjylland at MCH Arena. Tomás De Vincenti was once again the hero as he scored one and forced an own goal from Kian Hansen in a brilliant first half for the Cypriot champions, while new signing Luís Leal missed a glorious chance to make the score 3–0 before Jakob Poulsen score a late goal for Midtjylland.

On 4 August 2015, ten-men APOEL squeezed into the Champions League play-offs after prevailing against FC Midtjylland on the away goals rule, despite a shock 0–1 home defeat. APOEL got off to the worst possible start when Jakob Poulsen's resulting free-kick floated over the defence and met the head of Erik Sviatchenko who steered the ball past Boy Waterman. Then came more despair for APOEL when the referee handed the Brazilian midfielder Vinícius a straight red card for a strong challenge on Pione Sisto. The second half was a cagey affair with APOEL reluctant leak another goal, while Midtjylland players launched countless ineffective long balls into Boy Waterman's area. Albeit under extremely difficult circumstances, APOEL secured European group stage football for the fifth time in seven seasons and a place in the UEFA Champions League play-offs draw.

Play-off round

APOEL were drawn to face Kazakh champions FC Astana in the play-off round of the Champions League, as they attempt to reach the group stages for the fourth time in their history.[11]

On 18 August 2015, APOEL fell to a 1–0 defeat against FC Astana at Astana Arena in their Champions League play-off first leg match, leaving themselves with plenty of work to do in the return match in Nicosia. Domingos Paciência's side were punished for a piece of poor defending on 14 minutes to allow Bauyrzhan Dzholchiev to score the game’s only goal, while APOEL once again failed to score, despite creating chances for a crucial away goal.

On 26 August 2015, APOEL were very close to qualify for the UEFA Champions League group stage, before a late Astana goal saw their hopes evaporate after a 1–1 draw at GSP Stadium. Trailing 1–0 from the first leg in Kazakhstan, APOEL had dominated possession in the second leg in Nicosia but failed to take their chances against seemingly weaker opposition. On the hour mark, Semir Štilić whipped in a wonderful free-kick beyond the reach of the Astana keeper to bring APOEL level in the tie, but a late equaliser from Nemanja Maksimović sent APOEL crashing out of the UEFA Champions League.

APOEL’s hopes of a fourth Champions League group stage campaign came to an end, but their European season continued in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League. Also, following the team's failure to reach the UEFA Champions League group stage, Domingos Paciência was fired two days later[1] and he was replaced by Georgian coach Temur Ketsbaia, who signed a two-year contract with the club.[2]

Group stage

APOEL's 2015–16 UEFA Europa League starting line-up that managed to beat Asteras Tripoli 2–1 at home and secured the club's only victory in Group K.[12][13]

After being eliminated by FC Astana in the play-off round of the Champions League, APOEL were automatically transferred to the group stage of the UEFA Europa League, drawn in Group K alongside Schalke 04, Sparta Prague and Asteras Tripolis.[14]

On 17 September 2015, APOEL's Europa League campaign got off to bad start as they suffered a 3–0 defeat by Schalke 04 at GSP Stadium in Nicosia. Schalke had the game wrapped up inside the opening half-an-hour after goals from Joël Matip and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, while Max Meyer and Johannes Geis had also rattled the crossbar early on. APOEL's hopes for a positive result ended after Huntelaar's second goal in the 71st minute, while Tomás De Vincenti was sent off for the hosts 13 minutes before the end for swearing at the referee. On 1 October 2015, APOEL fell to a second straight defeat in the Europa League, going down to a 2–0 loss to Sparta Prague at Generali Arena, making the club's aspirations of reaching the next round complicated. APOEL's already tough challenge was made even more difficult due to the absence of six first team players who were suffering injuries. On 23 minutes, a chipped ball to the angle of the penalty area found David Lafata who picked out an unmarked Kehinde Fatai to tap the ball in from a few yards out. Just moments after APOEL came very close to a leveller with Georgios Efrem close range effort, Sparta sprung forward in numbers and a far post cross found Jakub Brabec who made no mistake with the finish, putting his team in front by two goals on the hour mark. On 22 October 2015, APOEL came from behind to end an eight-match wait for a home win and earned their first points in Group K after beating Asteras Tripoli 2–1 at GSP Stadium. After just eight minutes, Argentinian Facundo Bertoglio crossed from the left to his countryman Braian Lluy who calmly placed the ball beyond Boy Waterman to hand Asteras a shock early lead. On 16 minutes, the game was suspended because of floodlight failure, leading to a delay of 12 minutes. The breakthrough for APOEL came in the eighth minute of first-half stoppage time thanks to a Fernando Cavenaghi goal from the penalty spot. In the second half, APOEL kept pushing on for another goal and the winner came in the 59th minute when Carlão headed the ball into the net after Semir Štilić's corner. The visitors failed to threaten late on and APOEL comfortably closed out the game to seal a crucial three points which put them back in contention to qualify for the knockout phase. On 5 November 2015, APOEL's chances of making the knockout phase of the Europa League were dealt a huge blow as they suffered a 2–0 defeat at the hands of Asteras Tripoli at Theodoros Kolokotronis Stadium. APOEL got off to a nightmare start as a poor clearance from Marios Antoniades fell to Facundo Bertoglio who smashed the ball into the roof of the net to make it 1–0 after only two minutes. From that point on, APOEL began to dominate proceedings and were almost level when Semir Štilić's strike hit the post, but Asteras dealt a killer blow to their chances as they doubled their lead on the stroke of half-time after a close header by Apostolos Giannou. APOEL had been looking for a spark during the second half but it simply would not come as they slumped to their third defeat and sitting bottom of the group with just three points. On 26 November 2015, a late Schalke 04 winner at Veltins-Arena was enough to knock APOEL out of UEFA Europa League and to send the German side to the next round. Despite of Schalke's first half dominance, the biggest chances of the night fell to APOEL midway through the second half when Nuno Morais and Vander failed to beat Schalke's goalkeeper Ralf Fährmann from close range. But just when it looked like APOEL had earned a commendable draw, Schalke grabbed a winner with just four minutes remaining after Sascha Riether's low cross found Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting in the box and the forward found the net to make it 1–0. Two minutes later, Schalke awarded a penalty but Boy Waterman stooped low to save Dennis Aogo's kick. On 10 December 2015, APOEL suffered a 1–3 defeat against Sparta Prague at GSP Stadium and ended a miserable Europa League campaign bottom of Group K with only three points, after one win and five defeats in six games. Fernando Cavenaghi scored a fantastic drive after only six minutes to give APOEL an early lead, but Sparta Prague managed to equalize on the hour mark thank to a lucky deflected goal by Lukáš Juliš. Experienced striker David Lafata came off the bench on 74 minutes and just three minutes later grabbed the goal that would give his side the lead. Three minutes before the end Lafata scored again to make it 1–3 with a neat finish. The result, in the end, was of little meaning for either side as victory for Schalke 04 over Asteras Tripolis in the group's other game meant the Germans claimed top spot with Sparta finishing second, while APOEL finished bottom.

Current squad

Last Update: 2 April 2016[15]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
3 DF Brazil BRA João Guilherme
4 MF Cyprus CYP Kostakis Artymatas
5 DF Brazil BRA Carlão
7 MF Cyprus CYP Georgios Efrem
8 MF Argentina ARG Tomás De Vincenti
10 MF Cyprus CYP Constantinos Charalambides (captain)
11 MF Cyprus CYP Nektarios Alexandrou (vice-captain)
15 DF Cyprus CYP Marios Antoniades
16 MF Brazil BRA Vinícius
17 MF Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Semir Štilić
19 FW Cyprus CYP Michalis Charalambous
20 FW Cyprus CYP Pieros Sotiriou
21 DF Bulgaria BUL Zhivko Milanov
23 DF Spain ESP Iñaki Astiz
25 DF Cyprus CYP Rafael Anastasiou
26 MF Portugal POR Nuno Morais (3rd captain)
30 DF Cyprus CYP Giorgos Merkis
No. Pos. Nation Player
27 FW Poland POL Mateusz Piątkowski
28 DF Portugal POR Mário Sérgio (4th captain)
31 MF Cyprus CYP Vasilios Papafotis
32 DF Cyprus CYP Andreas Assiotis
40 MF Cyprus CYP Demetris Charalambous
44 DF Cyprus CYP Nicholas Ioannou
45 MF Cyprus CYP Georgios Christodoulou
46 FW Cyprus CYP Efstathios Aloneftis
55 MF Portugal POR Estrela
70 MF Greece GRE Giannis Gianniotas (on loan from Olympiacos)
77 MF Brazil BRA Vander Vieira
78 GK Spain ESP Urko Pardo
79 FW Argentina ARG Fernando Cavenaghi
88 GK Cyprus CYP Tasos Kissas
95 MF Cyprus CYP Christos Djamas
96 GK Cyprus CYP Giorgos Tasouris
99 GK Netherlands NED Boy Waterman

For recent transfers, see List of Cypriot football transfers summer 2015.
Also, see List of Cypriot football transfers winter 2015–16.

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Spain ESP Jordi Codina (on loan at Pafos FC)
14 MF Cyprus CYP Alex Konstantinou (on loan at Doxa Katokopias)

Loan deals expire at the end of 2015–16 season

International players

Foreign players

EU Nationals

EU Nationals (Dual citizenship)

Non-EU Nationals

Squad changes

In:

No.
Pos.
Nat.
Name
Age
EU
Moving from
Type
Transfer
window
Ends
Transfer
fee
Source
95 DM Cyprus Christos Djamas 19EU Cyprus Ayia Napa Loan return → Summer 2016 Free
90 RB Brazil Guilherme Choco 25EU Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad Transfer Green tickY Summer 2017 Free apoelfc.com.cy
77 LW Brazil Vander Vieira 26Non-EU Cyprus AEK Larnaca Transfer Green tickY Summer 2018 €100K apoelfc.com.cy
1 GK Spain Jordi Codina 33EU Spain Getafe Transfer Green tickY Summer 2017 Free apoelfc.com.cy
17 AM Bosnia and Herzegovina Semir Štilić 27Non-EU Poland Wisła Kraków Transfer Green tickY Summer 2018 Free apoelfc.com.cy
13 CM Cyprus Constantinos Makrides 33EU Ukraine Metalurh Donetsk Transfer Green tickY Summer 2017 Free apoelfc.com.cy
9 CF Portugal Luís Leal 28EU United Arab Emirates Al-Ittihad Kalba Transfer Green tickY Summer 2017 Free apoelfc.com.cy
23 CB Spain Iñaki Astiz 31EU Poland Legia Warsaw Transfer Green tickY Summer 2017 Free apoelfc.com.cy
27 CF Poland Mateusz Piątkowski 30EU Poland Jagiellonia Białystok Transfer Green tickY Summer 2017 Free apoelfc.com.cy
99 GK Netherlands Boy Waterman 31EU Turkey Karabükspor Transfer Green tickY Summer 2017 Free apoelfc.com.cy
79 CF Argentina Fernando Cavenaghi 31EU Argentina River Plate Transfer Green tickY Summer 2017 Free apoelfc.com.cy
21 RB Bulgaria Zhivko Milanov 31EU Bulgaria Levski Sofia Transfer Green tickY Winter 2017 Free apoelfc.com.cy
70 RW Greece Giannis Gianniotas 22EU Greece Olympiacos Loan → Winter 2016 Free apoelfc.com.cy
30 CB Cyprus Giorgos Merkis 31EU Cyprus Apollon Limassol Transfer Green tickY Winter 2017 Free apoelfc.com.cy
55 DM Portugal Estrela 20EU United States Orlando City Transfer Green tickY Winter 2019 Free apoelfc.com.cy

Total expenditure: Decrease €100K

Out:

N
Pos.
Nat.
Name
Age
EU
Moving to
Type
Transfer
window
Transfer
fee
Source
22 GK Greece Dionisis Chiotis 37EU Greece Panelefsiniakos End of contract Red XN Summer Free apoelfc.com.cy
9 CF Republic of Ireland Cillian Sheridan 26EU Cyprus Omonia End of contract Red XN Summer Free apoelfc.com.cy
6 LB Norway John Arne Riise 34EU India Delhi Dynamos End of contract Red XN Summer Free apoelfc.com.cy
8 CM Portugal Tiago Gomes 29EU Retirement End of contract Red XN Summer Free apoelfc.com.cy
25 CB Cyprus Andreas Christofides 22EU Cyprus Olympiakos End of contract Red XN Summer Free apoelfc.com.cy
13 DM Germany Martin Lanig 30EU Retirement
  • Mutual consent
  • / Retirement
  • w
=S
Free apoelfc.com.cy
79 CF Algeria Rafik Djebbour 31EU Greece AEK Athens End of contract Red XN Summer Free sigmalive.com
73 CB Brazil Kaká 34Non-EU Portugal Tondela End of contract Red XN Summer Free sigmalive.com
14 RW Cyprus Alex Konstantinou 23EU Cyprus Doxa Katokopias Loan → Summer Free sigmalive.com
35 LW Cyprus Marios Pechlivanis 20EU Austria Austria Wien II End of contract Red XN Summer Free sigmalive.com
34 RW North Macedonia Valmir Nafiu 21Non-EU Albania KF Skënderbeu Mutual consent Red XN Winter Free apoelfc.com.cy
90 RB Brazil Guilherme Choco 25EU Brazil Sampaio Corrêa Mutual consent Red XN Winter Free apoelfc.com.cy
1 GK Spain Jordi Codina 33EU Cyprus Pafos FC Loan → Winter Free apoelfc.com.cy
13 CM Cyprus Constantinos Makrides 33EU Cyprus Apollon Limassol Mutual consent Red XN Winter Free apoelfc.com.cy
9 CF Portugal Luís Leal 28EU Paraguay Cerro Porteño Transfer Green tickY Winter Undisclosed apoelfc.com.cy

Total income: Increase €0

Last updated: 1 February 2016

Club

Other information

Chairman Cyprus Prodromos Petrides
Ground (capacity and dimensions) GSP Stadium (22,859 / 105x68 m)

Source: apoelfc.com.cy, apoelfc.com.cy

Squad stats

Total Cypriot First Division Cypriot CupCypriot Super CupChampions League & Europa League
Country
N
P
Name
GS
A
Mins.
Gls.
Y
R
A
Mins.
Gls.
Y
R
A
Mins.
Gls.
Y
R
A
Mins.
Gls.
Y
R
A
Mins.
Gls.
Y
R
Spain 1 GK Codina
Brazil 3 CB Guilherme 22 30 2086 1 4 21 1467 1 3 3 270 1 123 5326
Cyprus 4 DM Artymatas 30 35 2778 1 8 26 2073 1 5 2 194 1 7511 2
Brazil 5 CB Carlão 38 40 3252 3 7 25 2114 2 5 3 192 1 167 1187911
Cyprus 7 RM Efrem 30 35 2285 13 6 24 1549 11 3 4 331 2 1 190 6315 2
Argentina 8 AM De Vincenti 38 40 3316 19 15 3 26 2202 15 9 2 4 239 2 3 190 1 9785221
São Tomé and Príncipe 9 CF Leal 7 8 634 2 1 90 2 123 6521
Cyprus 10 RM Charalambides 11 27 1224 4 3 19 892 4 2 2 180 6152 1
Cyprus 11 LM Alexandrou 22 30 2168 7 20 1494 6 4 315 6359 1
Cyprus 13 CM Makrides 16 24 1460 4 14 694 1 190 9676 3
Cyprus 15 LB Antoniades 27 32 2127 8 18 1127 5 4 257 1 190 9653 2
Brazil 16 CM Vinícius 41 44 3505 6 4 2 29 2411 5 1 5 334 1 1 1174 9686 21
Bosnia and Herzegovina 17 AM Štilić 19 31 1725 4 2 16 804 3 6 371 1 167 848311
Cyprus 19 CF Charalambous 1 19 1 19
Cyprus 20 CF Sotiriou 26 38 2294 11 3 26 1711 10 2 5 317 1 7266 1
Bulgaria 21 RB Milanov 22 22 1953 6 16 1428 5 6 525 1
Spain 23 CB Astiz 26 30 2412 3 16 1285 3 3 255 190 10782
Cyprus 25 CB Anastasiou 1 2 105 1 15 190
Portugal 26 DM Morais 52 53 4687 4 8 34 3021 3 8 6 570 1 116 121080
Poland 27 CF Piątkowski 6 25 675 1 14 296 1 2 21 190 8268
Portugal 28 RB Mário Sérgio 33 36 3045 4 21 1782 3 3 183 190 11990 1
Cyprus 30 CB Merkis 16 17 1490 1 6 1 13 1101 1 5 4 389 1 1
Cyprus 31 AM Papafotis 2 17 1 2 17 1
Cyprus 32 RB Assiotis 1 21 1 21
North Macedonia 34 RW Nafiu
Cyprus 40 CM Charalambous
Cyprus 44 LB Ioannou 2 7 314 1 5 276 1 1 33 15
Cyprus 45 DM Christodoulou 1 10 1 10
Cyprus 46 LW Aloneftis 1 11 330 2 1 10 301 1 1 1 29 1
Portugal 55 DM Estrela 1 19 1 19
Greece 70 RW Gianniotas 19 20 1564 5 6 17 1323 5 5 3 241 1
Brazil 77 LW Vander 25 44 2458 6 11 30 1622 6 5 4 181 10655 6
Spain 78 GK Pardo 21 21 1883 -14 2 16 1403 -9 2 5 480 -5
Argentina 79 CF Cavenaghi 19 26 1699 23 1 18 1220 19 3 234 2 524521
Cyprus 88 GK Kissas 1 1 90 -1 1 90 -1
Cyprus 95 DM Djamas
Cyprus 96 GK Tasouris
Netherlands 99 GK Waterman 33 34 3007 -34 2 20 1747 -16 1 1 90 -1 190 121080-171
Last updated: 15 May 2016
Source: Match reports in competitive matches
Ordered by start team, game starts and position on pitch (from back right to front left)
0 shown as blank
Country: when 2 flags, 1st flag = country that plays for internationally, 2nd flag = country of birth; N = number on jersey; P = Position; Name = Name on jersey (for more extended name, pause the mouse pointer on the name); GS = Game Started; A = Appearances.

Top scorers

R Player Position League Cup Super Cup Europe1 Total
1 Argentina Cavenaghi CF 19 2 0 2 23
2 Argentina De Vincenti AM 15 2 0 2 19
3 Cyprus Efrem RM 11 2 0 0 13
4 Cyprus Sotiriou CF 10 1 0 0 11
5 Brazil Vander LW 6 0 0 0 6
Brazil Vinícius CM 5 1 0 0 6
7 Greece Gianniotas RW 5 0 0 0 5
8 Cyprus Charalambides RM 4 0 0 0 4
Bosnia and Herzegovina Štilić AM 3 0 0 1 4
Portugal Morais DM 3 1 0 0 4
11 Brazil Carlão CB 2 0 0 1 3
12 São Tomé and Príncipe Leal CF 2 0 0 0 2
Cyprus Aloneftis LW 1 1 0 0 2
14 Cyprus Artymatas DM 1 0 0 0 1
Brazil Guilherme CB 1 0 0 0 1
Poland Piątkowski CF 1 0 0 0 1
Cyprus Merkis CB 1 0 0 0 1
Own goals 1 0 0 1 2
TOTAL 91 10 0 7 108

Last updated: 15 May 2016
1Including both UEFA Champions League and Europa League competitions.
Source: Match reports in Competitive matches

Captains

  1. Cyprus Constantinos Charalambides
  2. Cyprus Nektarios Alexandrou
  3. Portugal Nuno Morais
  4. Portugal Mário Sérgio

Source: apoelfcofficial

Pre-season friendlies

25 June 2015 Friendly APOEL Cyprus 2–0 Lithuania FK Atlantas Arena Mistrzów, Gniewino
18:30 EET Štilić 80'
Papafotis 82'
Report
27 June 2015 Friendly Lechia Gdańsk Poland 4–1 Cyprus APOEL MOSiR Stadium, Gdańsk
18:00 EET Wawrzyniak 26' (pen.)
Buksa 46'
Kopka 86'
Gierszewski 87'
Report Piątkowski 64' Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Poland Paweł Dreschel
30 June 2015 Friendly Arka Gdynia Poland 2–1 Cyprus APOEL Arena Mistrzów, Gniewino
18:00 EET Siemaszko 60'
Warcholak 75'
Report Sotiriou 76' Attendance: 200
3 July 2015 Friendly Lech Poznań Poland 0–0 Cyprus APOEL Arena Mistrzów, Gniewino
19:00 EET Report
Note: 60-minute match
4 July 2015 Friendly Lech Poznań Poland 3–0 Cyprus APOEL Arena Mistrzów, Gniewino
20:00 EET Kamiński 33'
Thomalla 56'
Kownacki 76'
Report Referee: Poland Łukasz Karski
8 July 2015 Friendly Doxa Katokopias Cyprus 0–4 Cyprus APOEL Makario Stadium, Nicosia
20:00 EET Report Leal 18'
Astiz 68'
Xenofontos 83' (o.g.)
Charalambides 90'
Attendance: 1,500
23 July 2015 Friendly APOEL Cyprus 2–1 Cyprus Ermis Aradippou Archangelos Training Centre, Nicosia
19:00 EET Alexandrou 40'
Nafiu 82'
Report Da Silva 30' (pen.) Attendance: Behind closed doors
30 July 2015 Friendly APOEL Cyprus 1–1 Cyprus Olympiakos Archangelos Training Centre, Nicosia
19:00 EET Sotiriou 82' Report Mashinya 9' Attendance: Behind closed doors
7 August 2015 Friendly APOEL Cyprus 3–2 Greece Asteras Tripolis Makario Stadium, Nicosia
20:00 EET Charalambides 30'
Piątkowski 34'
Artymatas 72'
Report Giannou 10'
Bertoglio 55' (pen.)
Attendance: 500
Referee: Cyprus Kyriakos Kyriakou
4 September 2015 Friendly APOEL Cyprus 2–0 Cyprus Olympiakos Archangelos Training Centre, Nicosia
18:30 EET De Vincenti 20'
Cavenaghi 29'
Report Attendance: Behind closed doors
Note: 80-minute match

Competitions

Overall

Competition Started round Final
position / round
First match Last match
Cypriot First Division Winners 22 August 201515 May 2016
UEFA Champions League Second qualifying round Play-off round 14 July 201526 August 2015
UEFA Europa League Group stage Group stage 17 September 201510 December 2015
Cypriot Cup Second round Semi-finals 13 January 201620 April 2016
Cypriot Super Cup Final Runners-up 12 August 2015

Updated to match played 15 May 2016
Source: Competitions

Cypriot First Division

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 APOEL 26 20 2 4 72 18 +54 62 Qualification for the championship round
2 AEK Larnaca 26 19 4 3 47 17 +30 61
3 Anorthosis Famagusta 26 15 7 4 48 22 +26 52
4 Omonia 26 14 7 5 46 24 +22 49[lower-alpha 1]
5 Apollon Limassol 26 14 7 5 41 24 +17 49[lower-alpha 1]
Source: UEFA, CFA, Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Head-to-head away goals scored (only if two teams); 6) Goal difference; 7) Goals scored; 8) Play-off (only if deciding championship round, relegation round or relegation).[16]
Notes:
  1. Head-to-head record: Omonia 0–0 Apollon, Apollon 0–0 Omonia.

Results summary

OverallHomeAway
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsWDLGFGAGDWDLGFGAGD
36 26 5 5 91 26  +65 83 12 2 4 49 16  +33 14 3 1 42 10  +32

Last updated: 15 May 2016.
Source: UEFA

Results by round

Round123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536
GroundAHAAHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAH
ResultWWDWWWWWWDLWLWWLLWWWWWWWWWWWWDDWWWLD
Position112111111111333343332111111111111111
Updated to match(es) played on 15 May 2016. Source: apoelfc.com.cy
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Play-offs table

The first 12 of the 14 teams are divided into two groups of six teams. Points are carried over from the regular season.

Championship group

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 APOEL (C) 36 26 5 5 91 26 +65 83 Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round
2 AEK Larnaca 36 23 6 7 61 34 +27 75 Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round
3 Apollon Limassol 36 19 11 6 61 36 +25 68 Qualification for the Europa League third qualifying round[lower-alpha 1]
4 Omonia 36 20 7 9 63 34 +29 67 Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round
5 Anorthosis Famagusta 36 16 11 9 57 41 +16 59
Source: UEFA, CFA, Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Head-to-head away goals scored (only if two teams); 6) Goal difference; 7) Goals scored; 8) Play-off (only if deciding champion or UEFA competitions).[17]
(C) Champions
Notes:

Matches

Kick-off times are in EET.

Regular season

22 August 2015 Matchweek 1 Ermis 1–5 APOEL Ammochostos Stadium, Larnaca
20:00 EET Vasilogiannis 55' Report 1
Report 2
De Vincenti 9'
Leal 18', 32'
Štilić 26'
Charalambides 63'
Attendance: 1,051
Referee: Thomas Mouskos
30 August 2015 Matchweek 2 APOEL 6–2 Pafos GSP Stadium, Nicosia
20:00 EET Vinícius 33', 71'
De Vincenti 41'
Charalambides 61'
Cavenaghi 86', 90+1'
Report 1
Report 2
Damahou 39'
Grigalava 89'
Attendance: 6,656
Referee: Ioannis Anastasiou
12 September 2015 Matchweek 3 AEK 2–2 APOEL GSZ Stadium, Larnaca
20:00 EET Kanté 41'
Monteiro 75'
Report 1
Report 2
Vander 68'
Cavenaghi 82'
Attendance: 3,158
Referee: Vasilis Demetriou
21 September 2015 Matchweek 4 Doxa 0–1 APOEL Makario Stadium, Nicosia
19:00 EET Report 1
Report 2
Cavenaghi 13' (pen.) Attendance: 1,606
Referee: Loukas Soteriou
26 September 2015 Matchweek 5 APOEL 4–0 Aris GSP Stadium, Nicosia
20:00 EET Cavenaghi 24' (pen.)
Efrem 36'
De Vincenti 49', 88'
Report 1
Report 2
Attendance: 4,923
Referee: Kostas Psevdiotis
5 October 2015 Matchweek 6 Paralimni 0–5 APOEL Tasos Markou Stadium, Paralimni
19:00 EET Report 1
Report 2
De Vincenti 12'
Vander 31'
Efrem 51'
Cavenaghi 62' (pen.), 65'
Attendance: 979
Referee: Christos Nicolaides
17 October 2015 Matchweek 7 APOEL 6–0 AEL GSP Stadium, Nicosia
18:00 EET Efrem 14', 16'
Cavenaghi 37', 55', 90+1' (pen.)
Artymatas 58'
Report 1
Report 2
Attendance: 7,178
Referee: Charalambos Skapoullis
26 October 2015 Matchweek 8 Nea Salamina 0–9 APOEL Ammochostos Stadium, Larnaca
19:00 EET Report 1
Report 2
Efrem 2'
Štilić 21'
Žarković 44' (o.g.)
De Vincenti 45', 51'
Vinícius 61'
Cavenaghi 83', 89'
Piątkowski 86'
Attendance: 3,000
Referee: Avraam Tsoukkas
31 October 2015 Matchweek 9 APOEL 3–0 Ethnikos GSP Stadium, Nicosia
19:00 EET Charalambides 69'
De Vincenti 84'
Vinícius 90'
Report 1
Report 2
Attendance: 5,863
Referee: Costas Nicolaou
9 November 2015 Matchweek 10 Omonia 2–2 APOEL GSP Stadium, Nicosia
19:00 EET Margaça 2'
Sheridan 77' (pen.)
Report 1
Report 2
Cavenaghi 15', 52' Attendance: 10,131
Referee: Demetris Masias
21 November 2015 Matchweek 11 APOEL 0–2 Anorthosis GSP Stadium, Nicosia
19:00 EET Report 1
Report 2
João Victor 69'
Ndlovu 81' (pen.)
Attendance: 9,712
Referee: Leontios Trattos
30 November 2015 Matchweek 12 Ayia Napa 0–1 APOEL Tasos Markou Stadium, Paralimni
19:00 EET Report 1
Report 2
Cavenaghi 29' (pen.) Attendance: 401
Referee: Loukas Soteriou
5 December 2015 Matchweek 13 APOEL 0–1 Apollon GSP Stadium, Nicosia
19:00 EET Report 1
Report 2
Guié 58' Attendance: 5,948
Referee: Vasilis Demetriou
14 December 2015 Matchweek 14 APOEL 2–0 Ermis GSP Stadium, Nicosia
19:00 EET Cavenaghi 64' (pen.)
De Vincenti 82'
Report 1
Report 2
Attendance: 3,576
Referee: Kostas Psevdiotis
19 December 2015 Matchweek 15 Pafos 0–1 APOEL Pafiako Stadium, Paphos
17:00 EET Report 1
Report 2
Vander 14' Attendance: 1,347
Referee: Charalambos Skapoullis
22 December 2015 Matchweek 16 APOEL 1–2 AEK GSP Stadium, Nicosia
17:00 EET Guilherme 3' Report 1
Report 2
Català 31'
Alves 72'
Attendance: 7,171
Referee: Christos Nicolaides
3 January 2016 Matchweek 17 APOEL 1–2 Doxa GSP Stadium, Nicosia
18:00 EET Sotiriou 68' Report 1
Report 2
Edmar 10'
Paulinho 90+5' (pen.)
Attendance: 4,155
Referee: Vasilis Demetriou
10 January 2016 Matchweek 18 Aris 1–2 APOEL Tsirion Stadium, Limassol
18:00 EET Boniface 71' Report 1
Report 2
De Vincenti 31'
Sotiriou 52'
Attendance: 1,742
Referee: Giorgos Nicolaou
17 January 2016 Matchweek 19 APOEL 3–0 Paralimni GSP Stadium, Nicosia
18:00 EET Morais 41'
Cavenaghi 45' (pen.)
Gianniotas 63'
Report 1
Report 2
Attendance: 5,178
Referee: Loukas Soteriou
24 January 2016 Matchweek 20 AEL 0–1 APOEL Tsirion Stadium, Limassol
15:00 EET Report 1
Report 2
Morais 51' Attendance: 4,990
Referee: Andreas Orthodoxou
30 January 2016 Matchweek 21 APOEL 6–1 Nea Salamina GSP Stadium, Nicosia
18:00 EET Sotiriou 7'
De Vincenti 64', 86'
Vander 70'
Vinícius 77'
Cavenaghi 83'
Report 1
Report 2
Makriev 14' (pen.)
Gomes Yellow card 73' Yellow-red card
Attendance: 4,757
Referee: Avraam Tsoukkas
7 February 2016 Matchweek 22 Ethnikos 1–3 APOEL Dasaki Stadium, Achna
18:00 EET Elia 90' Report 1
Report 2
Sotiriou 17', 42'
Cavenaghi 67' (pen.)
Attendance: 1,202
Referee: Kostas Psevdiotis
13 February 2016 Matchweek 23 APOEL 2–0 Omonia GSP Stadium, Nicosia
15:00 EET Efrem 9', 42' Report 1
Report 2
Attendance: 11,391
Referee: Vasilis Demetriou
21 February 2016 Matchweek 24 Anorthosis 1–2 APOEL Antonis Papadopoulos, Larnaca
16:00 EET De Vincenti 24'
Sotiriou 32'
Report 1
Report 2
Ndlovu 55'
Nuhu Yellow card 87' Yellow-red card
Attendance: 4,868
Referee: Demetris Masias
27 February 2016 Matchweek 25 APOEL 3–0 Ayia Napa GSP Stadium, Nicosia
18:00 EET Efrem 12'
Vander 36'
Aloneftis 63'
Report 1
Report 2
Attendance: 4,907
Referee: Nicolas Athanasiou
2 March 2016 Matchweek 26 Apollon 0–1 APOEL Tsirion Stadium, Limassol
16:00 EET Report 1
Report 2
Efrem 6' Attendance: 3,408
Referee: Christos Nicolaides

Play-offs

5 March 2016 Matchweek 1 Nea Salamina 0–1 APOEL Ammochostos Stadium, Larnaca
18:00 EET Report 1
Report 2
Carlão 40' Attendance: 1,200
Referee: Charalambos Skapoullis
12 March 2016 Matchweek 2 APOEL 2–1 Omonia GSP Stadium, Nicosia
18:00 EET Efrem 42'
Vander 84'
Report 1
Report 2
Bebê 35'
Cristóvão Yellow card 90+4' Yellow-red card
Attendance: 9,670
Referee: Demetris Masias
20 March 2016 Matchweek 3 AEK 0–3 APOEL GSZ Stadium, Larnaca
18:00 EET Larena Yellow card 55' Red card Report 1
Report 2
De Vincenti 8', Red card 81'
Efrem 39'
Sotiriou 74'
Attendance: 3,972
Referee: Leontios Trattou
2 April 2016 Matchweek 4 APOEL 2–2 Apollon GSP Stadium, Nicosia
18:00 EET Carlão 24'
Merkis 90+5'
Report 1
Report 2
Maglica 22'
Alexandre 34'
Attendance: 8,498
Referee: Giorgos Nicolaou
9 April 2016 Matchweek 5 Anorthosis 1–1 APOEL Antonis Papadopoulos, Larnaca
18:00 EET Laifis 70' Report 1
Report 2
Gianniotas 88' Attendance: 4,001
Referee: Ioannis Anastasiou
16 April 2016 Matchweek 6 APOEL 4–1 Nea Salamina GSP Stadium, Nicosia
18:00 EET Štilić 22'
Sotiriou 39'
Morais 51' (pen.)
Charalambides 64'
Report 1
Report 2
Adorno 72' Attendance: 6,295
Referee: Loukas Soteriou
23 April 2016 Matchweek 7 Omonia 0–2 APOEL GSP Stadium, Nicosia
18:00 EET Report 1
Report 2
Gianniotas 23', 44'
De Vincenti Yellow card 90+2' Yellow-red card
Attendance: 12,272
Referee: Christos Nicolaides
28 April 2016 Matchweek 8 APOEL 2–0 AEK GSP Stadium, Nicosia
16:00 EET Sotiriou 41'
Gianniotas 65' (pen.)
Report 1
Report 2
Larena Yellow card 68' Yellow-red card Attendance: 14,379
Referee: Vassilis Demetriou
7 May 2016 Matchweek 9 Apollon 1–0 APOEL Tsirion Stadium, Limassol
19:00 EET Stojanović 31' Report 1
Report 2
Attendance: 1,798
Referee: Avraam Tsoukkas
15 May 2016 Matchweek 10 APOEL 2–2 Anorthosis GSP Stadium, Nicosia
18:00 EET Sotiriou 12'
De Vincenti 56'
Report 1
Report 2
Koulouris 44'
Makris 62'
Attendance: 12,252
Referee: Neophytos Neophytou

UEFA Champions League

Qualifying phase

Second qualifying round
14 July 2015 First Leg APOEL Cyprus 0–0 North Macedonia FK Vardar GSP Stadium, Nicosia
19:00 CET Report 1
Report 2
Attendance: 14,531
Referee: Azerbaijan Aliyar Aghayev
21 July 2015 Second Leg FK Vardar North Macedonia 1–1
(1–1 (a) agg.)
Cyprus APOEL Philip II Arena, Skopje
20:00 CET Ljamčevski 90+4' Report 1
Report 2
De Vincenti 60' Attendance: 22,540
Referee: Italy Davide Massa
Third qualifying round
28 July 2015 First Leg Midtjylland Denmark 1–2 Cyprus APOEL MCH Arena, Herning
19:00 CET Poulsen 88' Report 1
Report 2
Hansen 30' (o.g.)
De Vincenti 33'
Attendance: 8,253
Referee: Slovenia Slavko Vinčić
4 August 2015 Second Leg APOEL Cyprus 0–1
(2–2 (a) agg.)
Denmark Midtjylland GSP Stadium, Nicosia
19:00 CET Vinícius Red card 30' Report 1
Report 2
Sviatchenko 3' Attendance: 16,070
Referee: Scotland Bobby Madden
Play-off round
18 August 2015 First leg FC Astana Kazakhstan 1–0 Cyprus APOEL Astana Arena, Astana
18:00 CET Dzholchiev 13' Report 1
Report 2
Attendance: 30,000
Referee: Hungary Viktor Kassai
26 August 2015 Second Leg APOEL Cyprus 1–1
(1–2 agg.)
Kazakhstan FC Astana GSP Stadium, Nicosia
20:45 CET Štilić 60' Report 1
Report 2
Maksimović 84' Attendance: 17,699
Referee: England Martin Atkinson

UEFA Europa League

Group stage

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification SCH SPP AT APO
1 Germany Schalke 04 6 4 2 0 15 3 +12 14 Advance to knockout phase 2–2 4–0 1–0
2 Czech Republic Sparta Prague 6 3 3 0 10 5 +5 12 1–1 1–0 2–0
3 Greece Asteras Tripoli 6 1 1 4 4 12 8 4 0–4 1–1 2–0
4 Cyprus APOEL 6 1 0 5 3 12 9 3 0–3 1–3 2–1
Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Matches
17 September 2015 Matchweek 1 APOEL Cyprus 0–3 Germany Schalke 04 GSP Stadium, Nicosia
21:05 CET De Vincenti Red card 77' Report 1
Report 2
Matip 28'
Huntelaar 35', 71'
Attendance: 13,512
Referee: France Tony Chapron
1 October 2015 Matchweek 2 Sparta Prague Czech Republic 2–0 Cyprus APOEL Generali Arena, Prague
19:00 CET Fatai 24'
Brabec 60'
Report 1
Report 2
Attendance: 9,130
Referee: Poland Paweł Gil
22 October 2015 Matchweek 3 APOEL Cyprus 2–1 Greece Asteras Tripoli GSP Stadium, Nicosia
19:00 CET Cavenaghi 45+9' (pen.)
Carlão 59'
Report 1
Report 2
Lluy 8' Attendance: 12,783
Referee: Russia Aleksei Eskov
5 November 2015 Matchweek 4 Asteras Tripoli Greece 2–0 Cyprus APOEL Theodoros Kolokotronis, Tripoli
21:05 CET Bertoglio 2'
Giannou 45+1'
Report 1
Report 2
Attendance: 3,624
Referee: Austria Oliver Drachta
26 November 2015 Matchweek 5 Schalke 04 Germany 1–0 Cyprus APOEL Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen
19:00 CET Choupo-Moting 86' Report 1
Report 2
Attendance: 43,117
Referee: Sweden Andreas Ekberg
10 December 2015 Matchweek 6 APOEL Cyprus 1–3 Czech Republic Sparta Prague GSP Stadium, Nicosia
21:05 CET Cavenaghi 6' Report 1
Report 2
Juliš 63'
Lafata 77', 87'
Attendance: 5,976
Referee: Hungary István Vad

Cypriot Super Cup

12 August 2015 Final APOEL 0–0
(3–4 p)
AEL GSP Stadium, Nicosia
20:00 EET Report 1
Report 2
Attendance: 4,352
Referee: Christos Nicolaides
Penalties
Morais soccer ball with check mark
Leal soccer ball with check mark
Antoniades soccer ball with red X
Efrem soccer ball with red X
De Vincenti soccer ball with check mark
Tagbajumi soccer ball with check mark
Sambou soccer ball with check mark
Sielis soccer ball with check mark
Feltscher soccer ball with red X
Nicolaou soccer ball with check mark

Cypriot Cup

Second round

13 January 2016 First leg Nea Salamina 0–1 APOEL Ammochostos Stadium, Larnaca
19:00 EET Report 1
Report 2
Morais 61' Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Costas Nicolaou
27 January 2016 Second Leg APOEL 3–2
(4–2 agg.)
Nea Salamina GSP Stadium, Nicosia
17:00 EET Cavenaghi 9'
De Vincenti 36'
Vinícius 50'
Report 1
Report 2
Ćurjurić 74' (pen.)
Liliu 76'
Attendance: 2,734
Referee: Demetris Masias

Quarter-finals

10 February 2016 First leg APOEL 1–1 Aris GSP Stadium, Nicosia
17:00 EET Cavenaghi 18' (pen.) Report 1
Report 2
Randy 15' Attendance: 3,344
Referee: Charalambos Skapoullis
17 February 2016 Second Leg Aris 1–3
(2–4 agg.)
APOEL Tsirion Stadium, Limassol
16:00 EET Maragoudakis 63' Report 1
Report 2
Efrem 49'
De Vincenti 77'
Aloneftis 81'
Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Christos Nicolaides

Semi-finals

6 April 2016 First leg APOEL 1–1 Apollon GSP Stadium, Nicosia
17:00 EET Sotiriou 29'
Merkis Red card 90'
Report 1
Report 2
Gneki Guié 21' Attendance: 6,533
Referee: Vasilis Demetriou
20 April 2016 Second Leg Apollon 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(2–2 agg.)
(5–4 p)
APOEL Tsirion Stadium, Limassol
17:00 EET Da Silva 45' Report 1
Report 2
Efrem 45+2'
Vinícius Red card 95'
Attendance: 4,992
Referee: Leontios Trattou
Penalties
Da Silva soccer ball with check mark
Papoulis soccer ball with check mark
Thuram soccer ball with check mark
Slavchev soccer ball with check mark
Mezga soccer ball with check mark
Morais soccer ball with check mark
Sotiriou soccer ball with check mark
Efrem soccer ball with check mark
Gianniotas soccer ball with check mark
Astiz soccer ball with red X

References

  1. Λύση συνεργασίας με Domingos Paciencia. APOEL FC. 28 August 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  2. Σύναψη συμφωνίας με Temur Ketsbaia. APOEL FC. 28 August 2015. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  3. Κοινή συναινέσει λύση συνεργασίας με Temur Ketsbaia (in Greek). APOEL FC. 21 April 2016. Archived from the original on 24 April 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  4. Ξεκινούν οι προπονήσεις στον Αρχάγγελο (in Greek). APOEL FC. 17 June 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  5. Στην Πολωνία το βασικό μέρος της προετοιμασίας (in Greek). APOEL FC. 9 June 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  6. Η κλήση για την αποστολή στην Πολωνία (in Greek). APOEL FC. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  7. ΑΠΟΕΛ - ΑΕΛ 0-0 (3-4 πέναλτι) (in Greek). CFA. 12 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  8. "2015/16 UEFA Champions League participants". UEFA. 18 June 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  9. "Qualifying round draws start road to Milan". UEFA. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  10. "Champions League third qualifying round draw". UEFA. 17 July 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  11. "UEFA Champions League play-off draw made". UEFA. 7 August 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  12. "APOEL come from behind to end eight-match wait". UEFA. 22 October 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  13. "APOEL vs. Asteras Tripolis 2 - 1". soccerway. 22 October 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  14. "Full UEFA Europa League group stage draw". UEFA. 28 August 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  15. "Squad 2015–16". APOEL FC. 1 February 2016. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  16. "1. Division 2015/2016 - Rules". Scoresway. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  17. "1. Division 2015/2016 - Rules". Scoresway. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
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