APOEL move into second place with win over Salamina
CYPRIOT 1st DIVISION - MATCHDAY 7
APOEL move into second place after defeating Nea Salamina 3-0 on Monday.
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Despite having several games in hand on the rest of the league, APOEL have moved into second place with a 3-0 win away to Nea Salamina at the Stadio Ammochostos in Larnaca on Monday.
Giorgos Merkis, Uros Matic, and Andre Vidigal scored for APOEL, moving them just two points behind Anorthosis with as many games in hand. Salamina fall to seventh place with the loss.
THE MATCH
APOEL got off to a good start in terms of possession. Linus Hallenius found himself some space to let off a shot, but it lacked power and was easily saved by Tasos Kissas. At the other end, Farshad Noor struck a free kick, but right into the arms of Vid Belec. APOEL continued to possess the ball, but couldn’t pay it off, and the first half ended scoreless.
Salamina opened the second half with a good chance as Tonia Tisdell found Charles Eloundou cutting into the box, but Belec read the play well and denied him. Lucas Souza had a go, but Kissas saw it all the way and hung on. Eloundou played in a cross looking for Ioannis Kosti. Kosti failed to connect, but the ball still made it to Anderson Correia. Correia had ample time to settle the ball and line up the shot, but even when he did so, he couldn’t keep his shot down. Then Kosti fired off a powerful strike, but it was right at Belec.
APOEL broke through in the 66th minute on a free kick. Uros Matic played the ball softly in the air for Giorgos Merkis, and the APOEL Captain beat Kissas with a well-placed header.
APOEL never looked back after that. Four minutes later, Matic got on the board himself, taking in a cross from Musa Al-Taamari and curling a shot through traffic and past Kissas.
Four minutes after that, Andre Vidigal unleashed a strike from distance that beat Kissas short side with pinpoint accuracy, off the bottom of the crossbar and in, to make it 3-0 for APOEL.
Salamina hoped to at least break up Belec’s clean sheet bid, and had some good chances, including when Jay Simpson hit the inside of the post, but Belec would not be beaten on this night, and APOEL made it four wins in as many matches with a 3-0 win away to Nea Salamina.
LINEUPS
Nea Salamina(Savvas Poursaitidis): 30. Tasos Kissas(GK), 7. Farshad Noor(‘79 8. Sasa Marjanovic), 10. Kingsley Onuegbu(‘84 18. Mauricio Cordeiro), 14. Jose San Roman, 17. Ioannis Kosti, 19. Benjamin Lambot, 23. Savvas Tsambouris, 24. Kypros Christoforou, 28. Tonia Tisdell, 91. Anderson Correia, 99. Charles Eloundou(‘71 9. Jay Simpson)
APOEL(Thomas Doll): 27. Vid Belec(GK), 8. Lucas Souza, 9. Linus Hallenius(‘79 19. Omar Hani), 14. Uros Matic, 20. Andrija Pavlovic, 29. Praxitelis Vouros(‘84 55. Christos Shelis), 30. Giorgos Merkis(Captain), 71. Andre Vidigal, 90. Vujadin Savic, 91. Dragan Mihajlovic, 95. Alef(‘46 11. Musa Al-Taamari)
HIGHLIGHTS
