Cyprus boss stays cool

CYPRUS may have achieved one of their best ever results with their 5-2 victory over the Republic of Ireland in Group D but coach Angelos Anastasiades was keeping cool in the aftermath of the success in Nicosia.

Asked, via his interpreter, why he wasn’t smiling, the man who had just presided over a famous home victory declared, “I am not allowed to laugh or smile after Slovakia”, a reference to the 6-1 defeat in their previous qualifier.

And if the Cypriot manager’s experience is anything to go by, Steve Staunton might well consider turning to prayer before Wednesday’s game against the Czech Republic.

Said Anastasiades: “I am very satisfied and I thank God as well, it was a very difficult game, our players were frightened after the unfortunate result in Slovakia.

“I said to my players that if they play according to their abilities, their talent, they will have a very good game against Ireland and a good result. I was expecting such a result.

“I said that if they play according to their abilities, they would beat Ireland very easily.”

A startlingly prescient statement? For once, it seems, nothing was lost in translation.