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Sangoy delighted with Apollon 'payback'

"I got my payback in the second half," Apollon Limassol FC forward Gaston Sangoy told UEFA.com after he missed a penalty then hit an unexpected winner at Legia Warszawa.

Legia's Michał Żyro challenges Apollon's Camel Meriem in Warsaw
Legia's Michał Żyro challenges Apollon's Camel Meriem in Warsaw ©AFP/Getty Images

Apollon Limassol FC striker Gaston Sangoy told UEFA.com he was thrilled to make amends after missing a penalty in UEFA Europa League Group J, with his goal at Legia Warszawa securing his side three points. It is a first away victory for a Cypriot side in a UEFA club competition group stage in their last 16 attempts.

Gaston Sangoy, Apollon forward
I am not that surprised that we won here as we knew how Legia played. Of course, I was nervous when I missed the penalty in the first half, but my colleagues encouraged me not to think too much about it, and I quickly put it behind me. I got my payback in the second half. I want to dedicate this goal to my family, who are in Cyprus right now – my mother and my fiancée.

This win makes us feel very positive about the next games. It's a pity we dropped three points against Trabzonspor in the first match, but thanks to this victory in Warsaw, we are back on the right track.

It was a cold night in Warsaw – the temperature difference between Poland and Cyprus is over 20 degrees right now, so I am even happier that we managed to do our job so well. This is first time I have played in Poland and I will take back good memories.

Camel Meriem, Apollon midfielder
We watched a lot of videos of Legia matches – against Lazio plus some from the Polish league – so we knew exactly how they played. We were well organised, especially in defence. OK, Legia had more possession, but they did not create a lot of dangerous situations. That was part of our tactics – let them play then hit them on the counter. We managed to put that plan into action when we broke and scored in the second half.

It's a shame about that [matchday one] defeat against Trabzonspor, but we are a small team compared to Lazio, Trabzonspor or even Legia, so we have nothing to lose. Every point we get is a bonus for us.

Michał Żyro, Legia midfielder
Our situation has got complicated, but we won't give up. We just have to win the upcoming matches. Apollon did not create many chances and it was the opposite for us – we had lot of them, especially from set pieces. Unfortunately, we lacked accuracy in the most important moments of the game. We are without some injured players and you can see how much we miss them, especially Marek Saganowski.

I made a mistake in losing the ball and Apollon scored the only goal of the game from the resulting counterattack. I know I will be criticised for that, but that's life – I have to accept it.

Tomasz Jodłowiec, Legia defender
Up until they scored, they had not created any clear chances from open play. Their first dangerous attacked ended in the goal. Sometimes you win games like this 4-0, but sometimes you lose them. It is good to hear that Trabzonspor and Lazio drew, but we have to win our next matches.

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