Omonia knock out Champions APOEL to reach Cup final

OMONIA put on an impressive display to beat champions APOEL 2-1 and set up a place in the Coca Cola Cup final against Anorthosis Famagusta.

APOEL started the better team and had a great chance to take the lead through winger Constandinos Makrides in the seventh minute.

But after the Greens had weathered the storm, they took control of the game and opened the scoring through vice captain Petros Konnafis.

Greek striker and former APOEL star Giorgos Vakoustsis scored against his former club to make it 2-0.

The champions got one back through a controversial penalty, after Nicolas Georgiou was judged to have handled the ball inside the box, despite television replies clearly showing that the incident had taken place outside the area.

Omonia coach Yiannis Matzourakis said that his team’s progression to the final was definitely a fair result.

“I would like to congratulate my players as they reacted very well and we have succeeded in getting to the final against a very difficult opponent,” he said after the game.

In the other semi-final Timouri Ketsbaia’s team drew 1-1 with AEK Larnaca and went through to the final after having won the first leg 2-1. Despite AEK having gone 1-0 down in the first half, they played some great football and were unlucky not to have been awarded a penalty in injury time that would have sent the tie into extra time.

Ketsbaia declared himself extremely happy that his team secured their place in Europe, saying that it was “a very important target for Anorthosis”.

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