Salamina stuns AEK Larnaca, wins for Omonoia and APOEL
CYPRIOT FIRST DIVISION - MATCHDAY 10
| Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23-Nov-19 | Nea Salamina | 1 - 0 | AEK Larnaca |
| 23-Nov-19 | APOEL | 3 - 0 | Pafos |
| 23-Nov-19 | Paralimni | 0 - 2 | Omonia |
Nea Salamina earned a surprise 1-0 win at home to AEK Larnaca, while Omonoia won 2-0 at Enosis Neon Paralimni and APOEL thrashed Pafos FC 3-0.
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Nea Salamina hosted AEK Larnaca at Stadio Ammochostos in Larnaca. After a tentative opening few minutes, the hosts earned a free kick, but Farshad Noor put it straight into the arms of Tono Ramirez. Surprisingly, Salamina continued to carry the play for the rest of the half.
In the second half, AEK gained their bearings slightly as Raul was denied by Tasos Kissas. Another Cypriot international, Ioannis Kosti had a go but Ramirez comfortably gathered.
Salamina continued knocking, and they finally broke down the door in the 78th minute as Anderson Correia’s cross found Kingsley Onuegbu who beat Ramirez with a header to make it 1-0 for Salamina.
AEK didn’t give up and Hector Hevel curled a nice strike that froze Kissas, but it screamed off the post and wide. On the last play of the match, Joszef Keaveny had the final chance to steal an equalizer with a bicycle kick, but Kissas was right there and Salamina hung on for the 1-0 win over AEK. It was a valuable win for Salamina, too, as they rocket up to fifth place, the highest they’ve been all season. AEK fall to fourth.
Enosis Neon Paralimni hosted Omonoia at the Tasos Markou Municipal Stadium in Paralimni. Omonoia were buzzing early, Thiago had a shot that was deflected and seemed to be going over the net, but Konstantinos Petrou tipped it out for a corner. At the other end, Nico Varela struck a free kick around the wall, but Fabiano was there to make the save.
Omonoia struck first via a corner. Jordi Gomez played it in and Matt Derbyshire rose above Petrou to head it past him and into the net in the ninth minute to make it 1-0 for Omonoia.
Enosis tried to answer through Onisiforos Roushias trying to haunt his old team, but his effort forced only a routine save for Fabiano. Omonoia had another corner and looked for the same connection of Gomez to Derbyshire, but this time Petrou won the aerial battle. Jan Lecjaks got to the loose ball but couldn’t keep it down. Nonetheless, Omonoia carried the 1-0 lead into the halftime break.
Just 28 seconds into the second half, however, Omonoia got their insurance marker. Eric Bautheac played in a cross that made it over Petrou and a grateful Thiago smashed it home, making it 2-0 for Omonoia. Enosis kept pressing, but they couldn’t hit the target often enough, and when they did, Fabiano was there.
Omonoia earned the 2-0 win in Paralimni over Enosis, and for now they move back into first place, three points ahead of Anorthosis who have two games in hand. Enosis are in 11th place, and will need to pick up the pace if they want to avoid relegation.
APOEL hosted Pafos FC at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia. APOEL got off to a fast start when Musa Al-Taamari found Linus Hallenius on the run, and he beat Artur Rudko low to give the hosts the 1-0 lead in the eighth minute.
Pafos looked to respond, but Vid Belec made a clutch save on Adam Nemec. Not long after, Nemec rose above Belec for a header, but luck was on Belec’s side as the ball hit the underside of the bar, hit the goal line and stayed out. Belec then spilled a cross right into the path of Nemec, but he cleaned up his own mess and stopped the second effort.
Against the run of play, APOEL doubled their advantage in the 38th minute. Al-Taamari had a shot saved by Rudko, but he got his own rebound and buried it to give APOEL the 2-0 lead. Belec kept it that way with a big save on Andreas Panayiotou Filiotis, and APOEL had a comfortable 2-0 lead to take into halftime.
In the 58th minute, APOEL put it away with a free kick. Nikolas Ioannou laid it off for Uros Matic who found Vujadin Savic, and he beat a helpless Rudko. That made it 3-0 for APOEL and they never looked back. APOEL move into third place, four points behind first place Omonoia with three games in hand. Pafos remain in ninth place.
