APOEL take down Omonoia to keep pressure on Apollon
CYPRIOT 1st DIV.: CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYOFFS (MATCHDAY 5)
| APOEL | 4 - 1 | Omonia |
|---|---|---|
| Lucas 10' Sallai 22' Ebecilio 82' NSue 90'+5' |
Jailson 39' |
APOEL moved back within two points of leaders Apollon after a 4-1 win over their eternal enemies Omonia.
Both teams entered the pitch on the offensive looking for an early goal and the visitors had the first big chance of the game in the 9th minute, when Demetris Christofi’s beautiful header from Jarchinio Antonia’s cross was stopped by a flying Nauzet Perez. APOEL quickly responded and they did so with success as Lucas Souza found the breakthrough 40 seconds later. The Galazokitrinoi kept the momentum going and in the 23rd minute, Emilio Nsue intercepted the ball, sprinted into Omonoia’s penalty area, and served Roland Sallai, who doubled the hosts’ lead.
In the 39th minute, Omonoia got back into the game with Jailson Araujo’s superb shot leaving no chance to Perez in goal. The hosts wasted an important chance with Mickael Pote just before half-time as his header was stopped first by Nikolay Mihaylov and then cleared off the line by Loukas Vyntra concluding a jam-packed first half.
APOEL put their foot on the gas in the second half, showing willingness to put the game to bed against their arch rivals. Lorenzo Ebecilio squandered a big chance as Mihaylov stopped his effort in the 67th minute. Omonoia answered two minutes later, when Christofi went alone against Perez, but his shot went wide out. Souza came close to doubling his personal goals in the 75th minute, but Mihaylov was up to the task this time around.
Ebecilio was the one that finally found the insurance marker for APOEL in the 82nd minute with a fantastic, curling effort that found the back of the net. From a free kick in the final moments of the game, Nsue put the icing on the cake to form the final 4:1 scoreline.
APOEL grabbed the three points, but also produced good football as they dominated large periods of the game. Their win keeps the pressure on the leaders, Apollon. Omonoia tasted defeat for an eleventh straight time against their eternal enemies and sit in 6th place in the standings.
