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A Different Champions League Night in Paphos
Football and volleyball shared the spotlight as Akritas’ Michael Dellios and Pafos FC captain David Goldar backed Cyprus’ European challenge.
Akritas’ Michael Dellios and Pafos FC captain David Goldar together in the stands. Photo: Akritas Chlorakas FC.
When people hear Champions League, football usually comes to mind first. In Paphos, the phrase had another meaning on Tuesday night. Kuutio Homes Pafiakos were carrying Cyprus into the CEV Champions League Volley, and two footballers were there to support them.
Akritas Chlorakas midfielder Michael Dellios and Pafos FC captain David Goldar watched Pafiakos face Croatia’s Mladost Zagreb at Afrodite Hall. Different teams. Different courts. One city sharing a big European night.
Pafiakos made the Champions League visitors work
The opening exchanges showed the level of the challenge. Mladost took the first set 25-21, but Pafiakos responded with a 25-21 set of their own. The home side had found its rhythm and made clear that this European tie would not be a one-way contest.
At the latest official CEV live update checked for this article, the teams were locked at one set apiece and the third set was tied 21-21. The score captured the fight Pafiakos were putting up: every point mattered, and neither side was getting a comfortable run.
Pafiakos’ place in the competition made the occasion significant for local sport. The club was hosting Mladost Zagreb in the first round of the CEV Champions League Volley 2027, bringing a major European club competition to Paphos.
Two Champions Leagues, one sporting community
Football has its UEFA Champions League. Volleyball has the CEV Champions League. The names point to different sports and different competitions, but the ambition behind them is familiar: represent your club, meet elite opposition and make your city proud.
That is what made Dellios and Goldar’s visit resonate. They came as footballers, but spent the night as supporters. Their presence recognised the work happening beyond the football pitch and showed that local sport grows stronger when its athletes show up for one another.
A volleyball match does not need to be a football match to matter to football people. The crowd, the pressure, the momentum swings and the determination to stay in the contest are understood across both games. The ball changes. The competitive spirit does not.
A small gesture with a wider message
For young players watching, seeing familiar football faces in the stands sends a simple message: every sport deserves respect, and every team benefits when its community gets behind it. Support can travel across club colours and across disciplines.
Akritas is proud to see Michael Dellios and David Goldar stand alongside Pafiakos and the wider volleyball community. One night in Paphos brought football and volleyball together around the same idea: compete hard, represent Cyprus and support the people doing the work.
Different sport. Same passion. And one Champions League night that belonged to Paphos.
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Ultimateworkz
Ultimateworkz creates digital experiences and editorial storytelling for Akritas 365, the official digital home of Akritas Chlorakas FC.
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