Wins for APOEL and Apollon 

CYPRIOT FIRST DIVISION - MATCHDAY 17

APOEL Nicosia and Apollon Limassol completed Matchday 17 with wins over Doxa Katokopias and Ethnikos Achnas, respectively. Pafos FC and Olympiakos Nicosia shared the points in a 1:1 draw, while Nea Salamina Ammochostou and Enosis Neon Paralimniou played out the same scoreline. 

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At the Makareio Stadium in Nicosia, last-placed Doxa Katokopias hosted hurt giants APOEL. The visitors started strong and found the back of the net in the 21st minute. Dragan Mihajlovic was brought down by Dorian Dervite, and the captain, Tomas De Vincenti, was on target from the spot, despite Thierry Graca’s effort, to give APOEL the lead. De Vincenti struck again 16 minutes later as he beat Graca for a second time after taking advantage of a cross from Antonio Jakolis. In the 43rd minute, APOEL scored another, this time with Giorgos Merkis receiving the ball from a corner kick and rocketing it into the back of the net. 

The second half did not produce much as APOEL sat on their lead, looking to save energy for an upcoming series of tough games. On the other hand, Doxa failed to create any threats. APOEL are now fourth, five points behind leaders Anorthosis, with a postponed game between the two sides coming soon. Doxa are in even bigger trouble, stuck at the bottom of the table, six points away from the safe zone. 

Pafos FC hosted Olympiakos at the Stelios Kyriakides Stadium in Paphos in a big lower-level matchup. An open game saw both teams looking to get ahead, with Olympiakos being slightly the better side. Both teams hit the post in the first half, with Erwin Koffi for the visitors and Jerson Cabral for the hosts. 

The breakthrough came in the 55th minute for Olympiakos, as a ball from Bilal Hamdi forced Nehir Besara to an own-goal. Pafos, though, answered back 12 minutes later, with a well-executed counterattack and a perfect finish by Cabral to level the game. Olympiakos pushed to regain the lead, however, Artur Rudko was there for Pafos, stopping any efforts to keep the game at 1:1. Olympiakos are now eighth, five points above the danger zone, while Pafos are 10th just two above the drop zone. 

Apollon hosted Ethnikos Achnas at the Tsirion Stadio in Limassol. Despite the matchup on paper, Ethnikos came to play, and Ibrahim Koneh dropped the gauntlet early. In just the second minute, Koneh latched onto a through ball, and raced through the Apollon defense, sliding it past Joel Mall, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead just 71 seconds in.

Apollon were up for the challenge, and in the tenth minute, they responded in kind as Florentin Matei curled a strike that Martin Bogatinov had practically no chance of saving, and they had their equalizer.

Just four minutes later, they pulled ahead for the first time, as Fotis Papoulis unlocked a path to goal for Charlison Benschop, and the Curacao international buried it past Bogatinov, giving Apollon the 2-1 advantage.

In the 22nd minute, Apollon kept riding the wave of momentum, this time with Matei squeezing the ball into a tight space for Papoulis, who beat Bogatinov with a quick release, extending the lead to 3-1. That remained the halftime score, only thanks to Bogatinov who turned aside chances by Benschop and Joao Pedro, ending a wild first half.

Apollon sat back a bit in the second half, allowing Ethnikos to take the play to them, and Mall made some nice saves on Marios Ilia and Vincent Laban. Finally, they got a lifeline in the form of a penalty, as Koneh was taken down by Esteban Sachetti and further bumped by Mall. Laban stepped up to take the penalty, and he sent Mall the wrong way, getting his side within one. Despite that, Apollon were able to hang on to see off a brave, but overmatched Ethnikos side, with a 3-2 home win. Apollon move into third place, three points behind Omonoia, and four points adrift of league leaders Anorthosis. Ethnikos are in ninth place, but only two points clear of the drop zone.

And finally, Nea Salamina hosted Enosis Neon Paralimni at Stadio Ammochostos in Larnaca. Early on, Anderson Correia had a free kick that was knocked aside by Boris Klaiman. Klaiman then had to be alert to deny Miguel San Roman. At the other end, Enosis had a corner that found the head of Chigozie Udoji, but Tasos Kissas was there to stop it. Neither side found the back of the net in the first half.

Enosis nearly pulled ahead early in the second half, as Onisiforos Roushias earned a free header, but luckily for Kissas, the crossbar was his friend, rejecting the attempt. He wasn’t as lucky in the 51st minute, as Sito Riera served in a corner that Hovhannes Hambardzumyan got a touch on. Kissas got a piece of it, but not enough to keep it out, and Enosis pulled ahead.

It seemed as though Enosis would hang on, especially after Klaiman denied Jay Simpson from point blank range, but Salamina finally broke down the door. Correia found Kingsley Onuegbu, who timed and placed his header perfectly to the bottom corner, no chance for Klaiman, and the 87th minute equalizer, and salvaged a point for Salamina, as the two sides settled for a 1-1 draw. The point moves Salamina back into the top six for a playoff spot for the first time all season, as they pass AEL Limassol. Enosis are still in 11th place, and thus in the drop zone, but now only two points away from safety behind both Ethnikos Achnas and Pafos FC.

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