Omonoia snap losing streak, APOEL held off in Pafos
CYPRIOT FIRST DIVISION - MATCHDAY 8
| Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4-Nov-18 | Pafos | 0 - 0 | APOEL |
| 4-Nov-18 | Omonia | 2 - 1 | Ermis Aradippou |
| 5-Nov-18 | Nea Salamis | 1 - 0 | Doxa Katokopias |
Matchday 8 in the Cypriot First Division concluded with two games on Sunday and one on Monday. On Sunday, Omonoia were under Giannis Anastasiou’s guidance for the first time and returned to winning ways by defeating Ermis 2:1. In Pafos, the local team managed to overcome APOEL’s pressure and keep the game to a goalless draw while Monday’s matchup saw Nea Salamina record their fourth consecutive win, a narrow 1:0 home result against Doxa.
Omonoia hosted bottom of the table Ermis and they wanted a “new beginning” with new boss Anastasiou on the bench. The Prasinoi pressed early on keeping Ermis in their own half for the first stages of the game. Omonoia’s pressure brought results as Jarchinio Antonia was awarded a penalty after being brought down by Paris Psaltis. Jordi Gomez was correct from the spot, beating Giannis Arampatzis to give Omonoia the lead in the 29th minute. The hosts continued to control the game but without finding a second goal and the game went into the break at 1:0.
Ermis came back from the locker rooms and surprised Omonoia with Giannis Mavrou finding the equalizer five minutes into the second period. Moments later, Antonia was brought down again by Psaltis right on the edge of Ermis’ penalty area, the referee showed the spot and Gomez once again was successful to re-give Omonoia the lead. In the 72nd minute, Omonoia missed a big chance to extend their advantage, but David Ramirez’s effort went just over Arambatzis’ crossbar. In the 81st minute, it was Ramirez again who cleared his defender, but was unlucky again as his shot was stopped by the post. Omonoia held on and with the win managed to break their losing streak as they look for a restart. Ermis are still bottom of the league and are already feeling the threat of relegation.
APOEL visited Pafos after prevailing against Omonoia in a convincing win during the midweek. However, Pafos were coming off their first win of the season after they pulled off a big comeback over Omonoia last weekend. APOEL controlled most of the first half but despite their superiority, they lacked the final pass once again. Pafos did well to defend tightly while Joel Mall was ready when he was needed as the first half ended goalless.
After a slow start to the second half, the first chance fell to APOEL in the 65th minute. Ghayas Zahid and Praxitelis Vouros combined beautifully and the latter found Guillherme Dellatorre in the heart of Pafos defense, but Mall impressively denied his shot. Seven minutes later, Musa Al-Taamari had another effort but his shot went just wide of the post. In the 81st minute, Al-Taamari was brought down by Kevin Holt, however the referee denied APOEL a penalty. Pafos finally found space deep into the game and during stoppage time, Jens Cools found himself in an ideal position but his effort went over the crossbar with the game ending in a goalless draw.
The result leaves APOEL with a missed chance to keep close to leaders AEL, who hold a five points lead over the Nicosia side. Pafos built on last week’s performance and proved that their home ground will be a tough destination for every opposition in this year’s campaign.
The Monday game featured two of the surprise teams of the campaign thus far as they crossed paths at the Ammochostos Stadium. Salamina came into the game really strong and had Renato Margaca on a great day. Just eight minutes into the game, the Cypriot international put Kingsley Onuegbu in a perfect position however the defenders blocked his shot and two minutes later, Thiago Santos’ great shot forced Armin Gremsl to a big save. In the 16th minute, Margaca stole the ball in the midfield and passed it to Farshad Noor who found Kingsley in the heart of Doxa’s defense. Kingsley dribbled through two defenders and released a shot that Gresml could not stop and put Salamina in front 1:0.
There was balanced play in the early parts of second half, but steadily Doxa gained ground. In the 76th minute, a header from Luis Carlos was denied impressively by Robert Veselovsky. Salamina held Doxa off in the final minutes with good defending and managed to celebrate their fourth consecutive win which keeps them in an impressive fourth place.
