OMONIA remain on top of the Cyprus standings after a 2-0 away win over struggling Nea Salamina over the weekend.
The Nicosia powerhouse took the lead after only three minutes when Georgios Efrem’s free kick deceived Rafael Ponzo in the Salamina goal.
Omonia then sat back and waited for their chances on the counter attack, but the closest they came was in the 32nd minute when Maciej Zurawski’s shot from outside the area went wide.
Twelve minutes into the second half the Greens had their best chance to make it 2-0 but Demetris Christofi’s strike hit the post.
To their credit, Nea Salamina constantly tried to get back onto level terms, but they were missing the final pass and never fashioned a good goal-scoring opportunity.
Omonia wrapped up the three points in the dying minutes when Stathis Aloneftis was brought down in the penalty area and Zurawski made no mistake from the spot, setting up the final score.
“It was a good win but we are focused on what is ahead of us,” said Omonia manager Takis Lemonis after the game.
“I was pleased with our efforts in midfield but I expect more in actual organisation of the play. The pitch certainly did not help but it is a fact that we need to work harder in that department,” he added.
“Nea Salamina proved that they are a worthy opponent and that there are no easy games in this league. Now we have some important games that we need to win and eventually achieve our goal,” he concluded.
Elsewhere, APOEL recorded a 1-0 win over AEL Limassol at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia, the defending champions sitting just a point behind their arch-rivals.
The title race is set to hot up over the next few weeks with APOEL facing a tricky away fixture against Apollon Limassol, before the crunch derby against Omonia.
“After three games without a win, coupled with some bad performances, we wanted to get this victory,” said APOEL coach Ivan Jovanovic
“We expected to improve our performance and I think that the final result is fair based on what was happening on the pitch.
“AEL’s quality and the importance of the game piled the pressure on us in the second half but we were confident enough to win the well-fought game,” the Serb added.
Anorthosis are still in the mix despite going down to a 2-0 loss in Limassol to another title contender in Apollon.
After a goalless first half, Gaston Sangoy opened the proceedings three minutes after the interval, while Semedo Cafu’s own goal six minutes later set up the final score.
In other games of the round, Aris Limassol and Ermis Aradippou recorded 2-1 home wins over AEP Paphos and Doxa Katokopia respectively, while APEP Pitsilia and Ethnikos Achnas beat Ethnikos Achnas and Enosis Neon Paralimni with identical scorelines away from home.
