APOEL to face AEL in Cyprus Cup final

By Andreas Vou

APOEL will take on AEL in the final of the Cyprus Cup after the side from Limassol edged past AEK Larnaca on away goals, while the cup holders breezed past arch-rivals Omonia.

The first leg result two weeks ago meant that there was a much flatter atmosphere than there usually is between the two Nicosia giants, with just 5,500 fans turning up for the occasion.

With APOEL carrying a 3-0 advantage from their first leg meeting, Omonia knew that an early goal would be vital if they were to stage a miraculous comeback.
That goal so nearly came after just seven minutes when Gaossou Fofana found Mickael Pote on the right hand side. The league’s top scorer picked out Roberto García but the Spaniard could not convert the chance.

Another big opportunity for Omonia came just minutes later, when APOEL keeper Urko Pardo misjudged the flight of a dangerous cross. The ball fell to the feet of Andre Schembri but the striker’s effort was cleared off the line.

It was another triumph for APOEL over their bitter rivals but the league leaders will be concerned with the injury which forced Pardo off the field late on.
The other semi between AEL and AEK was more evenly poised than the one at the GSP after a 2-2 draw in the first match in Larnaca.

The Limassol side were looking to make their third cup final in four years while AEK were hoping to reach the showpiece event for the first time since 2006.
AEL’s narrow advantage on the away goals rule was cancelled out on 34 minutes as AEK took the lead through Joan Tomas. That lead did not last long though, as Tomas’ fellow Spaniard Adrián Sardinero handed his side the advantage just seven minutes later. It was a tense encounter but AEL held on to scrape through.

APOEL are the most successful team in the history of the Cyprus Cup, having won the competition 20 times.
AEL have bad recent memories in the competition, having lost their last five finals.

The team from Nicosia know it will be no routine fixture, however, having failed to beat AEL in the two league meetings this season, drawing 0-0 at the GSP and losing 2-1 in Limassol.

The final is likely to be played at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia and will take place on Wednesday May 20.

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.