By Andreas Vou
Two quickfire second half goals saw Omonia overturn their one-goal deficit from the first leg against Dinamo Batumi to book their place in the second round of the Europa League. Apollon, who kicked off an hour later, also progressed with a 2-0 win over FC Saxan in Larnaca to add to their two-goal lead from the first encounter.
A big crowd turned up at the GSP Stadium on Thursday evening full of both nerves and expectation as Omonia looked to come back from their surprise 1-0 defeat suffered in Zestaponi last week. The home side started on the front foot but found it difficult to create clear chances other than an early effort from Herold Goulon which was tipped over the bar.
Omonia insistently looked to get the ball out wide and swing early crosses into the box towards target man and summer recruit Cillian Sheridan but with little joy. The best chance of the half came on 19 minutes when the Irish striker connected with an in-swinging corner but could only find the woodwork from just six yards out. Moments later, Omonia had the ball in the net through Andre Schembri but the goal was ruled out for offside – a tight call but a correct one.
Despite having 70 per cent of the possession in the first 45 minutes, Omonia looked nervy and were unable to break down a stubborn Batumi defence. However, a stroke of good fortune would see the game turn in their favour.
Schembri broke clear of the defence and, just as he was about to pull the trigger, the Maltese received a slight nudge in the back. The referee had no other option other than to award a spot-kick and a red card to defender Badri Tetunashvili. Goulon had his penalty initially stopped but the Frenchman fortunately saw the ball rebound into his stride from which he duly tapped home from close range to level the tie.
Just five minutes later, the turnaround was complete. The hopeful crosses which proved so ineffective in the first-half eventually bore fruit. Sheridan’s clever cushioned header found Schembri who made no mistake from six yards to put Omonia 2-1 up on aggregate.
Omonia’s dominant second half display was no match for the dejected visitors and the Nicosia club deservedly booked their spot in the second round.
Apollon had a less intimidating task thanks to their first leg 2-0 lead and their place was all but confirmed just two minutes into the match as Luka Stojanovic’s header further extended their advantage over FC Saxan.
A phenomenal volley from Fotis Papoulis in the second half added gloss to a comfortable win for Apollon, who join Omonia in the second round.
