APOEL drop points as AEK fight back

THE RESULTS of the latest weekend round of fixtures in the Cypriot league confirmed that this championship is as unpredictable as they come and that the title race will be tight to the last.

League leaders APOEL unexpectedly dropped points in Larnaca, where hosts AEK forced them to a 2-2 draw. All four goals were scored in the second half. AEK came back from a 2-0 deficit to level the score in injury time, depriving APOEL of the three points. AEK’s Lefteris Eleftheriou, the scorer of the equalizer, was justifiably dubbed most valuable player of the week.

Meanwhile Omonia grabbed second place, and now trail the league leaders by a single point. The Nicosia powerhouse obliterated minnows Doxa, blasting 11 goals past their hapless defence. Aloneftis and Konsley were on awesome form, each grabbing a hat-trick. This was Omonia’s most impressive show of force in a long while.

Apollon of Limassol slipped further, losing out 2-1 against Anorthosis in the high-profile game of the week. The Limassol side, slated as title contenders, have been dropping points left and right over the past few weeks. The string of poor performances led to the near-resignation of Romanian manager Ilie Dumitrescu, who has urged the club to carry out several new signings.

A visible improvement has helped AEL climbed to fourth place in the standings. This weekend, they beat FC Paphos 1-0, clinching the winner right at the death. For FC Paphos, the defeat means they have again slipped dangerously close to the relegation zone.

And the impressive Ethnikos had to settle for a 2-2 draw against lowly Onisilos, who just refused to throw in the towel. Attendance at the game was very low, at just 200 fans.
In mid-table, Paralimni beat Olympiakos 2-1 thanks to a goal just before the final whistle. Olympiakos officials protest their team was massacred by the refereeing.

Lastly, Dighenis went into overdrive, thrashing minnows Anayennisis 4-0.
The league’s top guns are Apollon’s Sosin and Omonia’s Konsley with 13 goals.

1. Αpoel 12 4 0 38-12 40
2. Omonia 13 0 3 46-17 39
3. Apollon 12 0 4 33-8 36
4. Ael 8 3 5 30-17 27
5. Ethnikos 8 2 6 32-24 26
6. Anorthosis 8 2 6 28-25 26
7. Olympiakos 6 5 5 28-24 23
8. Paralimni 6 3 7 27-24 21
9. Dighenis 4 6 6 15-21 18
10. FC Paphos 5 1 10 24-27 16
11. Aek 4 4 8 23-31 16
12. Anayennisis 2 5 9 11-29 11
13. Onisilos 2 3 11 12-40 9
14. Doxa 1 4 11 12-60 7

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.