APOEL and Anorthosis kick-off 2020 with wins
 

CYPRIOT FIRST DIVISION - MATCHDAY 15

Both APOEL and Anorthosis kicked off the new year with wins over Enosis Neon Paralimniou and Pafos FC, respectively, while Salamina were 3:2 winners over Ethnikos

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The first matchday of 2020 concluded with two games on Sunday and a Monday game where a total of 12 goals where scored from these three matches. APOEL started the year with a comfortable 4:0 win over Enosis Neon Paralimniou, with new coach Kare Ingebrigtsen enjoying a positive debut. An entertaining first half saw Nea Salamina register a 3:2 win against Ethnikos Achnas to start the year on the right foot while Anorthosis returned to the top of the table with a 3:0 away win in Paphos and will be ready to face APOEL next weekend. 

A new year and a new coach for APOEL as they returned to winning ways under Kare Ingebrigtsen. The defending champions hosted Paralimni at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia and were eager to return to their usual winning form after a tough loss to AEL Limassol last time out. 

APOEL started strong, and having Giorgos Efraim on a great day found the back of the net twice early on. First, Efraim set up Andrija Pavlovic, who beat Boris Kleyman with a headed effort in the 19th minute, and five minutes later, the Cypriot winger scored his first goal of the season by beating Kleyman with a superb strike. The hosts outplayed Paralimni, however, they were unable to score more goals before the half-time break. 

Four minutes into the second half, Tomas De Vincenti received the cross from Musa Al-Taamari and scored APOEL’s third of the night to put the game out of reach. In the 55th minute, Paralimni won a penalty after Carlos Rodriguez was brought down by Al-Taamari, however, Vid Belec guessed right and denied Nicolas Varela to keep ahold of his clean sheet. In the 71st minute, after Efraim was unable to take the shot under pressure, Pavlovic struck again as he sent the ball into the net for the hosts’ fourth goal of the game. 

The win gives APOEL an important boost as they have to face Olympiakos Nicosia midweek, then travel to the Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium for a big matchup against leaders Anorthosis. They are now fourth, nine points behind Anorthosis while Paralimni are stuck in 11th alongside Doxa Katokopias.

Salamina hosted Ethnikos in an important matchup at the Ammochostos Stadium in Larnaka. Ethnikos silenced the home crowd as Illya Markovskyy beat Tasos Kissas with a deflected shot after just four minutes of play. The hosts could not have asked for a better reaction as they answered back with three goals. With a header, Benjamin Lambot leveled the scoreline in the 25th minute, and then, Kingsley Onuegbu scored twice in the 41st and 43rd minutes to give Salamina a two-goal lead. During first-half stoppage time, though, Jovan Kostovski was brought down by Kissas, and a penalty was awarded. Igor Khudobyak successfully converted the spot-kick to pull the visitors back within one at 3:2. 

Despite a five-goal first half, neither team found the back of the net in the second half, and Salamina hung on for the 3:2 victory. As a result, Salamina move up to sixth place, in the final playoff spot, as Ethnikos are ninth, five points clear of the danger zone.

Anorthosis visited Pafos FC at the Stelios Kyriakides Stadium in Paphos looking only to get back into top spot after Omonoia’s defeat earlier in the weekend. Three minutes into the game and Gordon Schildenfeld’s header from a corner kick gave Timur Ketsbaia’s team the early lead. The visitors kept pressing for more, and they managed a second goal in the 29th minute. Nikolas Kaltsas was brought down by Kyriakos Antoniou in the penalty area, and Ruben Rayos beat Evgenios Petrou from 11 meters to double the Anorthosis lead. 

In the 59th minute, it was another penalty for Anorthosis. This time it was a handball from Jason Puncheon, and for a second time in the game, Rayos beat Petrou to score his 14th goal of the season. It was smooth sailing for the visitors as they recaptured first place in the league standings and will prepare to face APOEL at home in a critical matchup. Pafos are still in trouble and sit in tenth place, four points above the relegation zone.

by Marios Antoniou

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