Cyprus League leaders Anorthosis failed to increase their lead at the top of the standings after a goalless draw against Apollon at the Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium in Larnaca, while AEL lost their cutting edge as they allowed Olympiakos to score late and battle out a 1-1 draw in Round 18 closer.
“We opened the match well as we were very focused, but then started losing possession and I believe that we only got back to our senses when we went down to 10 men,” assessed Anorthosis coach Ronny Levy whose team tops the league standings with 48 points – six more than APOEL in second place after the Nicosia team played out a 1-1 draw against archrivals Omonia on Saturday.
Paulo Jorge was sent off for the home team in the last minute of the first half, while Apollon also went down to 10 men deep into the added time, when their skipper Giorgos Merkis was shown his second yellow card on the day.
“Even with a player less on the pitch we did not allow Apollon to create any significant opportunities, while we did have some chances but failed to score,” added Levy.
“I am disappointed with the final result, but I am pleased with the way we played. There is still a long way to go in the championship,” Levy concluded.
Paulo Sergio put AEL ahead after only seven minutes at the Tsirion Stadium in Limassol, but Pieros Sotiriou levelled the score for Olympiakos three minutes into injury time.
“Let me say that the result was not fair, as we were the better team throughout the match,” said AEL coach Jorge Costa, whose team will be facing APOEL Wednesday afternoon in Nicosia, in the second leg of the national cup Round of 16 after suffering a 2-0 defeat last week.
“We scored an early goal and I thought this would help us play more freely, but unfortunately we have lost our winning mentality and the final result clearly indicates that,” said Costa.
“We have a cup match next and we have to work even harder to be ready for it.”
Elsewhere, Estonian forward Andres Oper scored five minutes into injury time to provide Nea Salamina with an unlikely 2-1 victory over AEK at the GSZ Stadium in Larnaca.
Also on Saturday, Doxa Katokopia trashed AEP 4-0 in Paphos, while Ethnikos Achnas topped Ayia Napa 2-1.
On Sunday afternoon Enosis Neon Paralimni and Alki played out a 1-1 draw.
