AEK defeat Anorthosis, Big win for Paralimni
CYPRIOT FIRST DIVISION - MATCHDAY 22
| Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-Mar-20 | Anorthosis | 1 - 2 | AEK Larnaca |
| 1-Mar-20 | Paralimni | 3 - 0 | Ol. Nicosia |
AEK Larnaca forced Anorthosis to their first home defeat of the season by defeating the Famagusta side 2:1, giving big interest to Monday’s Eternal Derby between APOEL and Omonoia. Enosis Neon Paralimniou handed Olympiakos Nicosia a 3:0 loss to at home, to record a big win in their fight to avoid relegation.
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At the Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium in Larnaca, leaders Anorthosis were hoping to get back on track against AEK, after last week’s embarrassing 5:0 defeat to Ethnikos Achnas. Sixteen minutes into the game, though, AEK were ahead when their captain Ivan Trickovski sent a free-kick through the defensive wall and into Giorgi Loria’s net.
The hosts tried to respond, however, AEK’s well-organized defense did not allow Anorthosis to threaten Tono Ramirez’s goal. In the 37th minute, Apostolos Giannou came close to a second goal for AEK, but Loria denied him with a tough save. Moments later, Jose Naranjo found himself in a perfect spot, but his shot went just over Anorthosis’ crossbar with the first half ending 1:0.
At the start of the second half, Trickovski tested Loria twice, before he beat him for the second time in the 49th minute. From a corner kick, the striker jumped first and headed the ball into the net, punishing Anorthosis’ problematic defending.
In the 69th minute, Murtaz Daushvili did a great job on the defensive end to prevent Giannou from unleashing a dangerous shot, clearing any sort of danger. A minute later, on the other end of the pitch, Ruben Rayos sent Anorthosis’ biggest chance of the game over the crossbar.
In the 89th minute, Giorgos Gkalitsios touched the goal for Anorthosis with a strong effort that was denied by the crossbar, but moments later, the home side finally found the back of the net. Nika Kacharava dribbled through AEK’s defense and sent the ball past Tono to spark some hope for the hosts.
Anorthosis went on full attack for an equalizer, and in the dying moments of the game, they missed a big chance to tie the game. The ball went loose in AEK’s penalty area, Gordon Schildenfeld directed it towards the goal, however, AEK’s defenders stopped it before crossing the line to hold onto their important win.
Anorthosis suffered their second defeat in a row, and if Omonoia prevail over APOEL on Monday, they will enter the playoffs in second. AEK delivered a strong performance and are now three points behind APOEL and Apollon, who sit tied on 38 points in third and fourth place, respectively.
Enosis Neon Paralimni hosted Olympiakos at the Tasos Markou Municipal Stadium in Paralimni with a lot at stake in the fight to avoid relegation. A bad first half did not create many goal-scoring opportunities between the two teams. Ten minutes into the second half, Paralimni came close to an opener when Gregor Balazic was denied by Olympiakos’ right post. The game opened up and in the 66th minute as Paralimni were awarded a penalty when Nicolas Varela was brought down by Vinicius Franco in the penalty area. Berat Sadik beat Markos Vellidis from the spot to give his team the 1:0 lead.
The goal gave Paralimni confidence while Olympiakos collapsed in the final stages of the match. In the 83rd minute, Chigozie Udoji headed Lorenzo Riera’s free-kick into the net to double the hosts’ lead. In stoppage time, Sadik struck again with a strong shot outside Olympiakos’ penalty area to form the final 3:0.
Paralimni moved out of the danger zone and are now two points clear of Ethnikos Achnas, while they moved within two points closer to ninth-placed Olympiakos. The two teams will meet again in the first playoff matchday.
