Apoel take decisive step towards their fifth consecutive title

Apoel moved closer to a fifth consecutive championship title after their easy 4-1 win over AEL in Limassol while AEK defeated Apollon and kept alive their (slim) chances of overhauling the leaders.

In the relegation group Doxa Katokopias remain rooted at the bottom following their loss to Aris but are still in with a fighting chance as their nearest rivals, Karmiotissa, also lost, leaving the three point difference unchanged.

Apoel suddenly burst to life against AEL after a run of disappointing displays and poor results and this despite having a host of key players unavailable through injury or suspension.

Vander Viera opened the score in the 17th minute after a great solo run and then the same player set up Embezilio to double the score before the break.

Apoel’s Pieros Sotiriou, who had failed to find the net in his last 6 league games, managed to score twice in the final fifteen minutes with AEL’s only response a late Mitrea penalty.

In a tense and cagey game a late goal by AEK’s Acoran was enough to give the home side the precious three points against Apollon.

A decimated by injuries and suspensions Anorthosis defied the odds and defeated Omonia by 4-3 despite having to come back from behind twice.

In the relegation group, a goal by Aris’ Antoniou in the first half against Doxa eased the Limassol’s teams relegation worries while Ermis’ Martynyuk gave the group leaders the three points against Karmiotissa.

In the final group game Ethnikos defeated Nea Salamina thanks to a Nick Kacharave goal early on in the game.

Next weekend both the title and the final relegation spot may be decided as Apoel face AEK, the Nicosia team needing a win to clinch the title while Karmiotssia can secure their first division status if they defeat Doxa Katokopias.

FOOTBALL HIGHLIGHTS – Round 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.