Cyprus round-up: APOEL lose unbeaten record

APOEL Nicosia FC lost their unbeaten record along with the leadership of the Cypriot First Division following a 4-3 derby defeat at Anorthosis Famagusta FC.

Deflected shot
A deflected free-kick from striker Marios Neophytou gave Anorthosis the lead on 18 minutes but the visitors equalised soon after through a Barnabas Sztipanovics header. An error in the APOEL defence enabled Bosnian striker Vedran Pelic to restore the lead but Stavros Georgiou brought the game level just before half time.

Neophytou hat-trick
The home side restored their advantage on 49 minutes as Neophytou scored his second goal but were pegged back almost immediately when Georgiou scored his second. Neophytou completed his hat-trick on 69 minutes.

'Title is ours'
APOEL coach Panagiotis Lemonis maintained his side could still win the league despite the setback. He said: "It was a classic derby but there are still three games to go and if we win those the title is ours." His opposite number Andreas Michaelides said: "We showed tremendous character to win after APOEL drew level on three occasions."

Hard-earned victory
Omonia Nicosia FC replaced APOEL at the top with a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Dighenis Morphou FC. Lefteris Kontolefteros scored the only goal of the game on 58 minutes with a header.

Impressive win
Aris Limassol FC recorded an impressive 7-1 win against fellow strugglers Alki Larnaca for only their second league victory of the season. Two goals apiece from Stelios Longras, Elias Elia and Panagiotis Varelas along with a strike from Alekos Alekou saw Aris move above Alki who took the lead on 12 minutes through a Panicos Christophorou own goal.

UEFA Cup challenge
Olympiakos Nicosia FC maintained their challenge for a UEFA Cup place with a comfortable 4-0 win against relegation-threatened Nea Salamis FC. Marios Themistocleous scored a hat-trick and Slovakian striker Josef Kozlej scored the other.

Gjurev penalty
A Borje Gjurev penalty five minutes into added time at the end of the game gave Ethnikos Achnas FC a 2-1 victory against AEL Limassol FC. Apollon Limassol FC defeated Enosis Neon Paralimniou FC 3-2 while AEP Paphos FC recorded a 1-0 win against AEK Larnaca FC, courtesy of Panagiotis Hadjiantonis' 35th minute strike.