Mmaee's brace gives AEL derby honors
CYPRIOT 1st DIVISION - MATCHDAY 18
AEL Limassol were 2:0 winners over Apollon Limassol in Sunday’s Limassol derby.
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AEL were the big winners of Sunday’s Limassol derby, as they prevailed 2:0 over local rivals Apollon at the Tsireio Stadium. Ryan Mmaee’s two goals in the second half proved the difference at the final whistle.
The win is an important one for AEL in their fight to ensure participation in the first playoff group as they currently sit in fifth place. Apollon retreated to fourth, two points shy of third-placed APOEL.
THE MATCH
The game started with lots of energy from both teams, giving the fans an open and exciting derby. AEL had the first big chance in the 13th minute, as Ryan Mmaee set up Ruben Jurado, but Joel Mall had the answer to clear his effort. A minute later, it was Apollon’s turn to touch the goal. Giannis Gianniotas did well to bypass AEL’s defense, however, his shot went wide of Vozinha’s right post. Mall denied Jurado again as he impressively stopped the Spaniard’s effort in the 29th minute. In the final minutes of the first half, the gameplay toughened up, and both teams ended the first half goalless.
AEL went into the second half stronger and looked eager to draw blood first. In the 53rd minute, Mmaee sent the cross from the right to Jurado, who was denied by Mall once again. The rebound reached Mmaee, but Mall cleared his effort from the side.
The goal finally came in the 65th minute for AEL. Mmaee broke onto the counter, dribbled past Attila Szalai and Esteban Sachetti, and found the back of the net with a beautiful finish. Apollon almost answered eight minutes later, however, Vozinha came up with a big save to deny a strong shot from Florentin Matei.
In the 84th minute, Slobodan Medojevic was brought down by Vahid Selimovic, and a penalty was awarded for AEL. Mmaee beat Mall from the spot to double his team’s lead and form the final 2:0 scoreline.
LINEUPS
AEL Limassol (Dusan Kerkez): Vozinha (GK), Ion Gaztanaga, Slobodan Medojevic, Andreas Avraam, Davor Zdravkovski, Minas Antoniou, Charis Kyriakou, Momcilo Raso, Ryan Mmaee (Andrija Majdevac), Adnan Aganovic (Marko Adamovic), Ruben Jurado (Manuel Torres)
Apollon Limassol (Sofronis Avgousti): Joel Mall (GK), Emilio Nsue, Attila Szalai (Ioannis Pittas), Vahid Selimovic, Esteban Sachetti (Florentin Matei), Joao Pedro, Diego Aguirre, Giannis Gianniotas (Facundo Pereyra), Dorde Denic, Fotis Papoulis, Charlison Benschop
HIGHLIGHTS
