APOEL edge ahead in Cyprus
Friday, March 4, 2005
Article summary
Monthly review: Champions APOEL FC remained unbeaten as main rivals Anorthosis Famagusta FC suffered defeat.
Article body
By John Leonidou
Champions APOEL FC remain unbeaten at the top of the Cypriot First Division but February saw their main title rivals Anorthosis Famagusta FC suffer their first defeat of the season against mid-table AEL Limassol FC.
Tight race
A month ago the pair were separated only by goal difference, and in the second week of February they secured victories, APOEL beating bottom side Aris Limassol FC 1-0 and Anorthosis gaining a 3-1 win against AEK Larnaca FC. The following weekend, however, both teams slipped up.
Mixed feelings
On the Saturday APOEL were heading for defeat by Nicosia rivals AC Omonia before captain Marinos Satsias's 90th-minute penalty earned a 1-1 draw. APOEL coach Ivan Jovanovic admitted: "On the one hand, I am happy that we managed to salvage one point at the death, on the hand, I am ruing the opportunities we should have taken early on to put the game beyond our opponents."
Anorthosis defeat
Anorthosis had the chance to open a two-point gap the next day but instead fell to their first loss of the campaign as two late goals from substitute William Boaventura gave sixth-placed AEL a 3-1 home victory. Timur Ketsbaia's men recovered last Saturday to win by the same score at Ethnikos Achnas FC, but APOEL came from behind to overcome Dighenis Morphou FC, 2-1, 24 hours later. The latter result, sealed by another Satsias penalty, restored their one-point lead with seven games to go - including a 13 March meeting of the top two in Nicosia.
Point-less Aris down
Newly-promoted Nea Salamis FC remain in third place, 13 points behind Anorthosis but above Olympiakos Nicosia FC on goal difference. With three teams going down, Aris are already relegated and have seven matches to avoid the ignominy of being the only top-flight club in Europe not to secure a point this season.
Relegation struggle
However, the other teams in the bottom three, AEK and Achnas, are just three points short of Enosis Neon Paralimni FC and AEP Paphos FC, with Apollon Limassol FC not much further ahead.
