Apollon celebrated its second victory of the season yesterday (10/10), defeating Krasava ENY 3-1 at "Ammochostos" stadium in the fifth matchday of the Cyprus League by Stoiximan, bouncing back from their "disappointing" 2-2 draw with APOEL.
Despite the score, the truth is that the Limassol team had to work hard against Romo’s combative and well-prepared squad, but with the depth of their bench as their “weapon,” they were able to get the result they needed.
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The first half-hour saw the “blue-and-whites” passing the ball around, trying to find open spaces, while their opponents defended well. Eventually, they found the breakthrough with Assunção in the 38th minute, but shortly afterward (42′) the home team abruptly took the wind out of their sails, with De Lucas capitalizing on their defensive lapse to equalize.
In the second half, Krasava ENY stepped up the pace even more and didn’t just focus on defending, coming close to scoring twice, through Kiako (49’) and Kamous (72’). Fortunately for the Nicosia team, Koun made a crucial save and Malekkides cleared the ball off the line.
Seeing his team struggle, Hernán Lozada decided to… shake things up, bringing Gaspar and Eskritse into the game. The two of them were the undisputed stars of the match, paving the way for the much-coveted three points.
The counterattack began in the 80th minute, with the 33-year-old linking up perfectly with Rodríguez to make it 2-1, while in stoppage time, the Spaniard set him up for a sure goal, allowing him to seal the final score with his second goal of the match and fourth of the season.
Of course, the victory cannot sweep the problems under the rug. Apollon must improve both its defensive and offensive play if it wants to contend for a leading role. The positive aspect, however, is that the team has several quality options that will allow it to get results even on its off days.
