Holders APOEL held by Apollon in Cyprus Cup

APOEL have work to do in their quest to retain the Cyprus Cup after being held to a 1-1 draw in Nicosia by Apollon in the first leg of their semi-final clash.

The visitors from Limassol took a surprise early lead through Ivory Coast star Abraham Gneki Guié in the 21st minute but Pieros Sotiriou equalised for the league leaders just eight minutes later, with nobody unable to break the deadlock in the second half

APOEL will be without Giorgos Merkis for the second leg after the defender was sent off in injury time.

The second semi between AEK and Omonia, which kicked off two hours later, ended goalless.

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.