AEL in form
AEL Limassol are just two points behind neighbours Apollon at the top of the Cypriot league after successive wins over the Christmas and New Year period.
The matches
AEL beat Olympiakos Nicosia 3-0 on the 28th of December. Sito Riera and Marko Babic both scored penalties, while Andrija Majdevac scored the third.
Then in the first game in 2021, Riera scored the only goal in the eighth minute to give AEL victory against third bottom Karmiotissa.
Andrija Majdevac was clipped in the box and Riera’s penalty was saved, but the ball rebounded into his path and he made no mistake.
What it means
It was AEL’s fourth win in their last five games meaning they sit just two points behind rivals Apollon. They face AEK Larnaca on Wednesday. Karmiotissa have 15 points, three points above the bottom two, who both have a game in hand.
Omonia up to third
Omonia Nicosia began their new year in style as they won convincingly, beating AEK Larnaca 3-0. It was their fifth consecutive win, and they are up to third – four points off top spot.
Επιβλητικό πέρασμα από την Αρένα! ☘🔥👌#ΟΜΟΝΟΙΑ pic.twitter.com/Xi5dCKTfsq
— OMONOIA FC (@OMONOIAfootball) January 3, 2021
The match
Fotios Papoulis scored for the third consecutive game as he made no mistake from the spot to give Omonia the lead in the 16th minute.
The match was wrapped up at half-time as Ernest Asante scored twice to continue his great run of form. He has scored five in his last three games. His first goal was a stunner, cutting in from the right and striking a shot into the top corner.
His second goal was a simple finish after an incisive move. Papoulis spread the play out wide to find Jan Lecjacks in space on the left hand side. He crossed into the box to find Asante, who sprinted past two defenders to tap home.
What it means
Omonia face a huge test of their title credentials as they face Apollon on Wednesday. The loss was AEK’s first after a five game unbeaten run where they didn’t concede a goal.