Ermis flying high after sixth straight win

By Nemanja Bjedov
THE major surprise of the current championship Ermis Aradippou recorded their sixth consecutive win, 2-0 against Enosis Neon Paralimni at the Tassos Markou Stadium, after a narrow defeat in the opening round to Apollon in Limassol, to top the league standings with 18 points.
“The important thing is that we got the three points. We are now on the top of the league and we are fully focused on our next match against AEL. We want to take one game at the time. Obviously we set the bar high with our performances, but our goal does not change as we still want top six finish,” assesses Ermis’ midfielder Stelios Demetriou who scored the second goal against Paralimni side in the 84th minute.
Anorthosis and Apollon are currently in the second and third place with 15 points apiece and a game in hand, but both sides had difficult job late yesterday evening as they needed to overcome APOEL at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia and Ethnikos in Achna if they planned to climb up to the pole position.
AEL are fourth with 14 points after beating Aris 2-1 in the minor local derby with Edu scoring the winner deep into the injury time for the 2012 champions. Angolan coach Lito Vidigal who was lately criticized for the team’s mediocre performances has been sacked and the 38-year-old Bulgarian Ivaylo Petev has been appointed as his replacement. Petev is considered one of the best young coaches in Bulgaria after leading Ludogorets to back-to-back league titles, but he hit the headlines earlier this month, when he left 26-times Bulgarian champions Levski Sofia only a day after being undressed by the fans and forced out of his first news conference.
Toni Savevski’s Omonia won their third consecutive game as they dismantled Doxa Katokopia 6-0 at the Ammochostos Stadium in Larnaca, with both Andre Schembri and Tony Taylor netting twice. The Nicosia powerhouse is now fifth overall with 13 points from seven matches, while APOEL are sixth overall with 10 points.
“The final score probably does not reflect the way the game was developing and it is somewhat unfair to Doxa because they are a very good team. We were very effective in the first half when we scored four goals and practically the match was over after the first 45 minutes,” said Omonia’s coach Savevski.
Elsewhere in Round 7, AEK Kouklion recovered from a goal down to beat Alki 2-1, while AEK Larnaca suffered another unexpected defeat, this time at hands of Nea Salamina 1-0 at the GSZ Stadium.

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