FULL TIME: APOEL 1-1 AJAX. A fair point, but Ajax will go home unhappier as they will have doubts over the handball which led to APOEL's penalty. Thanks for joining me for tonights game! From me, Josh Smith, and all at VAVEL, we hope you enjoyed tonights coverage. Goodnight!
92' Oooooh! What a chance for Serero who misses what would of guaranteed the 3 points!
91' Aloneftis fires over! Was that the final chance?
90' Late corner for APOEL..
90' Into the final minutes. Sigthorsson booked, which sums up the strikers night.
87' Ajax fans unhappy on social media, they really wanted Milik earlier in the game! Aloneftis booked.
85' Both sides attacking, no one settling for a point, both know a draw does neither side good!
84' Been really impressed with Vinicius. Ajax getting their fullbacks pushed up and just as I type, Sightorsson heads wide!
82' Chance! Van Rhijn's costless kick is saved, and spilled by Pardo, he dives on the loose ball and APOEL clear.
81' Booking for Guilherme. Sheridan is replaced by Algerian Rafik Djebbour for APOEL!
80' Game really dying out. Can the subs made by either boss make a difference? Surely goal the winner...
79' Manduca off for Efrem. APOEL going two up top!
79' Serero down injured and play is stopped.
73' Double sub for Ajax. Kishna and El Ghazi replace Schone and Andersen.
72' Sub for APOEL, Tiago Gomes off for De Vincenti.
71' Chances! Poor defending at either end see's Sigthorsson and Aloneftis test the opposition keeper!
69' Ajax playing all in APOEL's half. It's clear to see why Barcelona only scored once against the Cypriots!
64' Very very even at the moment. Game tense but less entertaining.
63' Surely its time for an Ajax sub, they look very flat. Milik and El Ghazi could change this.
61' Gone very quiet here. PSG 3-2 Barcelona in Paris..
55' PSG have just gone 3-1 against Barcelona.
53' APOEL with all 11 eleven behind the ball. Ajax trying to play a few long balls to break the Cypriots down.
50' Game getting scrappy as Van Rhijn and Manduca both commit fouls.
47' Viergever booked for a foul on Vinicius.
45' Teams are back out. Both sides now shooting towards their own fans!
Half time: HT stat for you all! Nicolai Boilesen has completed 51 of 53 passes.
Half time: Tweet me your first half thoughts at @josh_spurs ...Big 45 coming up! PSG 2-1 Barcelona at HT in the other Group F game!
46' Half time! APOEL 1-1 AJAX. Andersen gave Ajax the lead before a penalty from Manduca less than 3 minutes later levelled things up.
45' One minute added on.
42' More pressure from the hosts! Ajax cant wait to hear the half time whistle!
41' What. A. Chance. Sheridan spearheads an APOEL counterattack and goes ever so close! Momentum buliding for the hosts here...
39' The home fans continue to make great noise!
38' I'm having a bit of bother changing the scoreboard. It's currently APOEL 1-1 Ajax.
36' All calmed down after a frantic few minutes! Moisander booked for a pull on Sheridan.
30' Goallllllllllll!!!! APOEL 1-1 AJAX. Manduca slots home a cool penalty following Van Rhijn's handball. All level!
29' Penalty to APOEL!! Handball by Van Rhijn...up steps Manduca...
27' Goallllllllllll!!!! APOEL 0-1 AJAX. Lasse Schone's shot is saved but Lucas Andersen finishes the rebounder smartly. 1-0 Ajax!
23' APOEL win another corner. They're far superior height wise to their Dutch opponents. The corner is cleared by Moisander.
21' Ajax having a spell of possession, no real chances of a goal for either side since the opening minutes. APOEL have eleven behind ball.
18' Ex-Killie striker Sheridan wins APOEL's first corner...
16' It comes to nothing as there is a foul in the box.
16' Ajax win the first corner...
14' Not much happening at the moment as both sides are trying to play from the back. Group F's other game between PSG and Barcelona is currently 1-1.
12' No pressure on the Ajax back four, but a stray ball leads to Moisander fouling Sheridan, but the costless kick leads to nothing..
10' Sigthorsson almost connects with Klaassen's low cross.
9' Worry for APOEL as Carlao lands awkwardly but he is back up and play resumes.
7' Aloneftis gets in behind Van Rhijn but controls with his hand. Better from the hosts.
5' Ajax enjoying lots of the balll, but the home fans arent enjoying it, whistling as Ajax move it around.
2' Chance! Ajax should be 1-0 up! Brilliant build up results in Sigthorsson firing wide with only Pardo to beat. Huge chance.
1' Kick off! APOEL in all yellow shooting to the left first half, while Ajax are in their famous red and white kit attacking the end housing the passionate home fans!
19:43: Respect to the Ajax fans who have made the trip. A few hundred by the looks of things. Kick off is seconds away!
19:42: Teams are out and Champions League theme music is sounded out by APOEL fans! What a game that awaits us!
19:31: Judging by APOEL's twitter, they will be playing a 4-2-3-1. Ajax, as expected are utilizing a 4-3-3.
19:30: Not long until kick off, and here's a reminder of tonights line ups! APOEL - Pardo; Antoniades, Carlao, Amorin, Sergio; Morais, Vinicius; Aloneftis, Manduca, Tiago Gomes; Sheridan // AJAX - Cillessen; Van Rhijn, Veltman, Moisander, Boilesen; Klaassen, Viergever, Serero; Schone, Sigthorsson, Andersen
19:23: If you have time, here is a pre match read of my match preview - https://www.vavel.com/en/international-football/397479-match-preview-apoel-v-ajax.html
19:19: APOEL currently top their domestic league, and a win tonight could really increase their chances of claiming 3rd place in this group, therefore meaning their European football adventure will continue into the Europa League knockout round's after Christmas. With the size of Barcelona and PSG, you can only imagine that 3rd place is likely to be contested by APOEL and Ajax.
19:14: Bit of history for you, courtesy of UEFA. • On their last visit to Cyprus, Ajax won 3-0 at Apollon Limassol FC to complete a 5-0 aggregate success in the 2001/02 UEFA Cup first round. • Ajax's second biggest victory in UEFA competition was against Cypriot club AC Omonia – 10-0 in Amsterdam in the 1979/80 European Champion Clubs' Cup second round. They lost the second leg 4-0 in Cyprus
19:10: Jamie has tweeted me saying itll finish 1-1, while KuranAFCA has followed his earlier tweet by claiming Schone, Sigthorsson, Milik and Klaassen will score. Not many fancy APOEL tonight.
19:05: @OptaJohan have just tweeted: Lasse Schone has been directly involved in 4 of Ajax's last 6 Champions League goals. (3 goals 1 assist)
19:00: Few very confident people on Twitter tweeting me in favour of an Ajax win! Liam thinks 4-1 Ajax while KuranAFCA thinks the Amsterdam side will win 3-1!
18:50: Just under an hour till kick off in Nicosia. Tweet me at @josh_spurs your predictions!
18:40: Team news in!!! APOEL XI: Pardo; Antoniades, Carlao, Amorin, Sergio; Morais, Vinicius; Aloneftis, Manduca, Tiago Gomes; Sheridan. / Subs: Chiotis, De Vincenti, Sotiriou, Efrem, Charalambides, Kaka, Djebbour.
18:35: Turns out my predicted Ajax XI was correct! Waiting on APOEL.
18:31: Team news in!!! Ajax XI: Cillessen; Van Rhijn, Veltman, Moisander, Boilesen; Klaassen, Viergever, Serero; Schone, Sigthorsson, Andersen. / Subs: Boer, Duarte, Kishna, Milik, El Ghazi, Denswil, Zimling.
18:29: Here's both sides recent form! APOEL: DWWLWW / Ajax: WWWDWL
18:12: Speaking to UEFA, APOEL manager Giorgos Donis had this to say... "We have to be realistic. Had we said before the Barcelona game that we would be seeking 50–50 possession, then we would not have been realistic in our approach. And to say we will have more than 35% possession in our home game against Barcelona would also be unrealistic. Although Ajax are a great team, they are no Barcelona. We want more possession in this game, but possession doesn't always guarantee a victory. Tomorrow we must press in all areas of the pitch."
18:08: Ricardo Van Rhijn is certainly optimistic of Ajax progressing from Group F! "Six points versus APOEL and an upset in Paris"
18:02: Former APOEL and Ajax striker Nikos Machlas has been speaking about Ajax's youth academy in the build up, saying "The Ajax academy is one of the best in the world"
18:00: Around 45 minutes till teams are announced.
17:57: Predicted line-ups! APOEL- Pardo; Sergio, Carlao, Guilherme, Antoniadis; Morais, De Vincenti, Vinicius; Thiago, Manduca, Aloneftis. Ajax- Cillessen; Boilesen, Moisander, Veltman, Van Rhijn; Serero, Viergever, Klaassen; Andersen, Sigthorsson, Schone.
17:41: Sorry for the delay! I'm sure you got to see the goals from Ajax's impressive 5-2 away win while I was gone.
16:55: Here's highlights of Ajax's game away to NAC Breda on the weekend.
16:50: With these sides never having met before, there are no previous stats to record for this tie! Although Ajax have a good record against Cypriot opposition...
16:40: Elsewhere in Group F, PSG host Barcelona in another mouth watering clash!
16:37: On matchday one, Ajax earned themsleves a point at home to PSG, drawing 1-1. APOEL Nicosia, on the other hand, lost 1-0 at Barcelona, which is a result they can take heart from considering Barcelona's impressive start to the new season.
16:34: Frank De Boer has rated chances of attacking midfielder Lasse Schone playing as 70%.
16:31: We will be expecting team news at around 6:40 from the Neo-GSP!
16:15: Hello and welcome to the live match commentary of APOEL Nicosia v Ajax. Myself, Josh Smith, will be your host for the evening and I thank all that join me for this potentially great evening of football! This evening's match will be the first time both sides have ever met.