Cyprus stun Portugal in eight-goal draw

(GSM) – Portugal were held to a spectacular 4-4 draw by Cyprus in their opening Euro 2012 qualifier, a result that will be received as a victory by the visitors.

Portugal, who have yet to win their first major tournament, faced Cyprus with suspended manager Carlos Queiroz watching from the stands.

And the match had been under way for just three minutes when Efstathios Aloneftis silenced the home crowd by handing Cyprus an early lead.

Hugo Almeida leveled five minutes later but Michalis Konstantinou restored Cyprus’ advantage after another three minutes.

Raul Meireles was next to equalise for Portugal in the 29th minute and when Danny made it 3-2 five minutes after the hour, home fans expected Cyprus’ resistance to be broken.

But this proved not to be the case as Yiannakis Okkas found the target for 3-3 in the 57th minute, although Manuel Fernandes put Portugal back ahead three minutes later.

From here on, Portugal began a battle with the woodwork and ended up losing that fight as it allowed Andreas Avraam to head home for an 89th-minute equaliser, 4-4.