After four days filled with close matches, suspense, and… complaints, Matchday 3 of the Cyprus League by Stoiximan came to a close, with some teams gaining ground in the standings and others losing… ground.
The action kicked off on Friday (September 11), with AEL edging out Nea Salamina 2-1, bouncing back from their 6-0 loss to APOEL. The “Lions” struggled against the “Red-and-Whites,” but thanks to a buzzer-beater by Gomes (90’+6′), they climbed to six points and third place. On the other hand, the Famagusta team remained winless and second-to-last in the standings with one point, while filing an official complaint against the referees.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The action continued on Saturday (September 12), with two draws and one upset. Initially, Karmiotissa came very close to celebrating its first-ever victory, as it led Omonia Aradippou for 87 minutes thanks to Bajunović (41′), but the “Doves” responded with a goal by Pontikos (88′) from the penalty spot and managed to secure at least a point, with the match ending 1-1. The home team sits in 12th place with two points, while Okkas’s squad is in sixth place with five points.
For their part, Apollon and Omonia played to a 0-0 draw, in a match where the first half was evenly matched and the second belonged to the “Greens,” who nevertheless failed to capitalize on their chances, while also facing the outstanding Koun. Following this result, both teams have five points, with the “clover” sitting in 4th place and the Limassol side just below them.
In contrast, at the “Antonis Papadopoulos” Stadium, Anorthosis got off to a winning start with a 2-1 victory over APOEL, putting their disappointing results against AEL and Apollon behind them. On the other hand, the “blue-and-yellows” failed to capitalize on their positive momentum and once again displayed inconsistent performance. The Famagusta team took a 1-0 lead through Kiko (26’ pen.), Bakasetas (51') temporarily cut the lead, and Lopes (90') sealed the final score.
One day later (September 13), Paphos pulled off a major upset at the “Arena,” beating AEK 1-0 and climbing to the top of the table, one point ahead of both AEK and AEL. The Larnaca side remained on five points and failed to make it three wins in a row, as their performance was inconsistent throughout the match. The only goal was scored by Dragomir (61′).
In the other match, there was a “draw” between Olympiacos and Omonia 29M, with both teams finding the back of the net six (!) times (3-3) and settling for a point. The “black-and-greens” still haven’t earned three points and avoided defeat thanks to Kynigopoulos’s hat trick (45+4′, 57′, 90+4′), while the “Clover” came close to a… win with goals from Amri (29′, 68′) and Zachariou (63′), but a draw will have to do. As for the standings, the home team is in 10th place with three points, and Baise’s squad is in seventh place with five points.
The curtain fell on Monday (September 14), with Aris celebrating its first win of the season, coming away with the “away win” from "Ammochostos" thanks to a 1-0 victory over Krasava ENY. Efagke (84’) was the undisputed star of the show… breaking through the opponent’s well-fortified defense. Thus, the “Light Brigade” reached four points and eighth place. On the other hand, Ypsonas’s team remained in last place without a single point.
Here are the results of Matchday 3 in detail:
Friday, September 11
- AEL–Nea Salamina 2–1
Saturday, September 12
- Anorthosis-APOEL 2-1
- Karmiotissa vs. Omonia Aradippou 1-1
- Omonia vs. Apollon 0-0
Sunday, September 13
- AEK vs. Paphos 0-1
- Olympiacos vs. Omonia 29M 3-3
Monday, September 14
- Krasava ENY vs. Aris 0-1
