OMONIA coach Dusan Bajevic expressed his delight with a 1-0 victory over Anorthosis in the tenth round of the national football championship at the GSP Stadium over the weekend.
“I think it was a very good game, especially in the first half, as we faced a difficult opponent. It was an important game for both teams since we both wanted to win,” he explained.
“We played well throughout the first half and created opportunities that unfortunately we did not take advantage of because we were anxious to convert,” said Bajevic.
“In the second half, due to tiredness, we started a bit slowly and the opposition changed their approach and went forward in numbers trying to win the game.
“However, we kept creating opportunities and deservedly won. I would like to thank our fans for their support. The next game is important, as is every other game ahead of us,” he added.
After Michalis Konstantinou mis-kicked the ball in the penalty area, Leandro kept his cool and hit the target from close range past Marcos Arguello to set up the final score six minutes before the final whistle.
“Today we came here to win against a tough opponent such as Omonia. My players tried hard, but we did not show enough quality,” said disappointed Anorthosis coach Vasil Simov.
“We had a couple of players out injured and that restricted us from creating more goal-scoring opportunities.
“In the second half, we kept the upper hand, but failed to score and also lost Okkas through injury.
“Congratulations to Omonia on the win. We will continue to work hard and invest the same amount of effort in the games to come,” Simov said.
Elsewhere, league leaders APOEL trounced APOP Kiniras Peyias 5-0 away from home to maintain their five-point lead over their arch-rivals at the top of the standings.
“I am absolutely delighted with the result which is certainly very good for us, although the game was played in a stadium that is of poor quality,” complained APOEL boss Ivan Jovanovic.
“We were completely focused throughout the course of the game though, which I demanded from my players and they performed on the pitch.
“APOP are a very good team and that makes our victory with such a convincing scoreline even more important,” Jovanovic added.
In other game of the round, AEK Larnaca came from a goal down to beat Ermis Aradippou 2-1 at the GSZ Stadium, while Apollonas topped Enosis Neon Paralimni 1-0, with Miljan Mrdakovic scoring his seventh league goal this season.
Doxa Katokopia overcame AEP Paphos 2-1, while Alki Larnaca and Olympiakos Nicosia played out a goalless draw.
