CYP 1st Div Matchday 22 Recap: Omonia continue great form, Wins for AEL, AEK, Anorthosis
CYPRIOT FIRST DIVISION - MATCHDAY 22
| Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30-Jan-18 | Alki Oroklini | 3 - 4 | Ermis |
| 30-Jan-18 | Olymp. Nicosia | 1 - 2 | AEL Limassol |
| 30-Jan-18 | Omonia | 5 - 1 | Nea Salamis |
| 31-Jan-18 | Pafos | 0 - 1 | Anorthosis |
| 31-Jan-18 | Ethnikos Achnas | 0 - 4 | Aris |
| 31-Jan-18 | Apollon | 1 - 2 | APOEL |
| 31-Jan-18 | AEK Larnakas | 4 - 0 | Doxa |
Marios Antoniou from AGONAsport.com brings you a full recap of Matchday 22 in the Cypriot 1st First Division. Full standings and schedule can be found here. Highlights for each match can be found here.
Watch LIVE GREEK TV including full GREEK SPORTS coverage from AGONASport.com!
AEL visited Nicosia and left with a 1:2 win over local side Olympiakos. AEL grabbed a two goal lead before half time with goals from Maurou and Texeira. The home side made the final minutes interesting as Torres scored in the 89th minute and wasted a glorious chance in stoppage time to steal a point from the match. AEL continue to sit in 5th while Olympiakos now sit just above the relegation zone one point more than 13th placed Aris.
Alki and Ermis played to an entertaining seven goal thriller with Ermis prevailing with a 4:3 victory. Alki went into halftime with a one goal lead thanks to a goal from Fabricio, but the second half was much different with a total of six goals in the 45 minutes of play. Ermis entered the pitch on the attack and scored three goals with Martynyuk, Emeghara and Monteiro to go ahead 1:3. Fabricio scored his second of the night in the 88th minute to put Alki back into the game, but two minutes later, Ermis regained their two goal lead through Artabe. Fabricio completed the hat-trick in the final moments to form the final 3:4 scoreline. Ermis and Alki now occupy 8th and 9th places respectively, seven and six points clear of the relegation zone.
Omonoia thrashed Salamina 5:1 to continue their exceptional form since Ivaylo Petev took over as the club’s head coach. The Prasinoi grabbed an early two goal lead with two goals from Derbyshire before Salamina scored their only goal of the game with Correia. Rafa Lopes sent Omonoia into the break with a comfortable 3:1 lead. In the second half, Derbyshire completed the hat-trick and Kipiani scored his first goal with Omonoia to form the final scoreline. Omonoia are now in 6th spot, just a point behind AEL, while Salamina sit in 11th with 18 points.
Aris recorded an important away victory with a 4:0 thumping of last placed Ethnikos. Maragkoudakis netted twice, while Kousas and Ionita scored for the hosts, who continue to sit in 13th but are just a point behind 12th placed Olympiakos.
Anorthosis escaped with a narrow 0:1 win from Pafos against the local side. Pafos came into the game much improved from their previous outings and were overall the better side in the 90 minutes of play, but failed to find the back of the net. Carlitos 42nd minute goal for the visitors separated the sides at the final whistle, a result that keeps Anorthosis in 3rd placed, four points behind the leaders APOEL. Pafos are in 10th just four points above the relegation zone.
AEK had an easy afternoon as they defeated Doxa 4:0 at the AEK Arena. Mojsov, Trickovski, Catala and an own goal from Lamine Ba saw the hosts take a 4 goal lead into halftime, a screen that remained at the final whistle. Doxa remain in 7th place but remain far behind th placed Omonia while AEK sit in 4th with 46 points.
