CYPRIOT FIRST LEAGUE FIRST PLAYOFFS REVIEW

CYPRIOT FIRST LEAGUE FIRST PLAYOFFS REVIEW

By Chrisos Mavromoustakos

The perilous play-off berth is amongst us in Cypriot football, providing goals, upsets and plenty of stalemates. 

The Cypriot First League Play-Offs are divided into two main groups, the Championship Group and the Relegation Group. The Championship Group consists of the top 6 teams, who battle it out for European spots and league titles, whilst the relegation group consists of the bottom 6 teams who look to not get relegated and finishing in the bottom two. 

Championship Group

AEL Lemesos (6) v Omonia (1)

Omonia went into this match with an undefeated 5 matches, with their last loss coming at the hands of Achnas on the 10th of March. They are booming in confidence after snatching that first spot from Anorthosis and were ready for a fight against AEL, who are looking to bounce further into those European spots. However, this wasn’t meant to be, and Omonia pulled away with three points, although AEL claimed more possession. Omonia’s three shots on target eventuated to goals and Derbyshire’s penalty on the 87th minute ultimately sealed the game for the Nicosia side. 

FT: 0-3 

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Anorthosis (2) v AEK Larnaca (5)

AEK had stellar form coming into this match, showing a pleasing February, only losing one game in the process, and were ready to go in form. AEK take the edge in this fixture winning the last meeting, however, Anorthosis’ form wasn’t as good. Until now. AEK’s main man, Trickovski ended up with a rare sight, an own goal to his name, this shattered AEK’s motivation as they would let in another two goals. An even game possession wise does not reflect on the outcome of the match, as Anorthosis take away the win with 7 shots on target out of 9 and the goalkeeper only really being tested with one save to his name.

FT: 3-0

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Apollon (3) v APOEL (4)

Ultimately the highlight of the group was this match up. Sitting a point from each other, with a European spot at stake were these two sides who are roaring for a result. The last time APOEL won was against Apollon, whilst Apollon’s last league defeat was in the same match on the 16th of February. APOEL looked to get revenge after being knocked out in the cup by Apollon in this match. Former APOEL man Nsue opened the scoring early on, leading to Apollon going into the half with the win. This would last until the 63rd minute, when APOEL equalised with a penalty scored by Jensen. An even ballpark in terms of possession, with APOEL getting the edge on shots. Draws were everywhere in this game, goalkeeper saves were tied with two, shots on target tied with two, yellow cards tied with two and the goals tied with one. 

FT: 1-1

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Relegation Group

Nea Salamis (8) v Ethnikos Achnas (11)

Nea Salamis are in a slump, let’s face it, they are desperate for a win, with their last win coming on the 30th of January. Head to head wise, it has been even with Achnas taking two, and Nea Salamis taking two. A slight edge in shots and possession for Achnas resulted in a late goal, however, Nea Salamis scored early, and held on to score again on the 87th minute. This is where the drama starts to kick in, as Ethnikos Achnas come barrelling down with a 93rd minute goal, sealing the draw. Wow. That’s intense. A master class of late drama, finger biting and possible heart attacks results in a draw between these two sides.

FT: 2-2 

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ENP (9) v Olympiakos Nicosia (10) 

Draws are the main outcome in this game, with the last 4 out of 5 meetings resulting in them. The last time Olympiakos Nicosia won this fixture dates back to the 4th of November 2015, in the cup! A normal first division win comes back to the 5th of November 2012 for the side from the capital. Olympiakos Nicosia must love the month of November against ENP. This game was heavily one sided, Olympiakos Nicosia took 10 shots, ENP only took one! That one shot resulted in a 66th minute goal, 2 minutes after Olympiakos Nicosia broke the deadlock. Ultimately, this game shows the reality of football, having 10 shots doesn’t win games, and one shot could ultimately change the game. Both sides run away with a point, showing again another display of a stalemate. 

FT: 1-1

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Doxa (12) v Pafos FC (7) 

The top and the bottom face off! Before this match, Pafos were on an undefeated run, not losing a single game in February. Doxa on the other hand, sit dead last, with their hopes of first league football next year fading away. Pafos know that their survival is ultimately inevitable at this point, but Doxa are fighting to stay up. This showed in this game as Doxa, pulled away with the 2-0 win. Goals from Jutric and Cypriot international Papafotis ensured that Doxa close the gap between last and second last Ethnikos Achnas even closer. Doxa came in clutch with 6 shots on target from 7 shots, and with more possession, this ultimately showed with a crucial three points. Doxa sit 7 points behind second last now, whilst Pafos FC have a 4-point lead over Nea Salamis. 

FT: 2-0