Cyprus League: Game Week 16 Roundup

Omonoia Aradippou 1-0 Krasava

Omonoia Aradippou edged past Krasava with a 1–0 victory at the Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium, thanks to a dramatic stoppage-time penalty.

The match was largely balanced, with both sides struggling to carve out clear chances over 90 minutes. The decisive moment arrived deep into added time when Georgiou won a penalty, and Richard Birkheun kept his composure to convert from the spot in the 94th minute.

APOEL 3-0 Paralimni

APOEL delivered a dominant performance, comfortably defeating Paralimni in a match they controlled from start to finish. Imposing their tempo early, the hosts took the lead in the 8th minute through Tomas and maintained clear superiority throughout the first half.

The pattern continued after the break, with Drazic doubling the lead shortly after half-time and Koutsakos adding a third to seal the result. APOEL controlled possession, created numerous chances and managed the game with maturity, while Paralimni struggled to cope with the intensity and offered little threat. The 3–0 scoreline accurately reflected APOEL’s dominance, in what was also the debut match for Paralimni’s new head coach, Markovski.

Ethnikos 0-1 AEL

AEL got 2026 off to a winning start, edging past Ethnikos 1–0 at the Dasaki and moving level on points with Apollon in sixth place on 24 points. The decisive goal came from Savo, who marked his debut by scoring the winner.

The opening half was cautious, with both sides feeling each other out. Ethnikos had the clearest chances through Breno, who went close on two occasions, while AEL struggled to find rhythm and create danger. The teams went in level at the break.

After the restart, Ethnikos thought they had taken the lead through Breno, but the goal was ruled out following a VAR check for offside. Breno later missed another big chance when denied one-on-one by AEL goalkeeper Ochoa. Despite Ethnikos’ pressure, it was AEL who struck first, with Sawo heading home from close range after a right-sided delivery. Ethnikos’ task became harder when Ofori was sent off for a second yellow card, and although AEL threatened again late on, the 1–0 scoreline remained.

Akritas 0-4 Omonoia

Omonoia eased past Akritas with a comfortable 4–0 win at the Stelios Kyriakides Stadium, in a game that took its time before properly coming to life.

The first half was functional rather than thrilling. Nikolas Panayiotou broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute, poking home from close range after Tankovic’s corner was flicked on by Masouras. Akritas had a let-off just before the break when Eiting somehow headed over from six yards with the goal begging.

After half-time, Omonoia shifted up a gear and the contest quickly slipped away from the visitors. In the 63rd minute, Mmaee redirected Masouras’ long-range effort past Perntreou to make it 2–0. Four minutes later, Ewandro unleashed a 20-yard strike to add a third, before Semedo did all the hard work on 72 minutes, racing through and squaring unselfishly for Mmaee to tap into an empty net.

Olympiakos 0-0 Aris

Olympiakos earned a gritty and deserved 0–0 draw against Aris at the GSP, a result that feels far more valuable than a single point.

Aris controlled possession and territory but struggled to turn dominance into clear-cut chances, repeatedly running into a well-organised Olympiakos defence. The visitors were disciplined, absorbed pressure intelligently and looked dangerous on the counter, coming closest to scoring through a shot off the post and a disallowed goal before half-time.

Despite sustained second-half pressure from Aris, Olympiakos held firm to secure a morale-boosting draw, while the hosts were left frustrated by another costly lack of efficiency in the title race.

AEK 4-0 Anorthosis

AEK Larnaca began the new year in style with a dominant 4–0 win over Anorthosis at the AEK Arena.

AEK controlled the match from start to finish, taking a deserved first-half lead through Bajic before Ivanovic doubled the advantage. Anorthosis showed brief signs of life early in the second half, but AEK remained composed, even shrugging off a missed penalty. Late goals from Amin and Bajic sealed a comprehensive victory.

Apollon 2-1 Pafos

Apollon made a winning start to 2026 with a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Pafos in a high-tempo derby in Limassol.

Apollon struck early through Marques, before Pafos responded with a Bruno equaliser late in the first half. The decisive moment came shortly after the restart, when Rodrigues converted from the penalty spot to restore Apollon’s lead.

Pafos pushed hard for a second equaliser and created chances, but Apollon defended smartly in the closing stages to secure a significant win – one that also marked Juan Carlos Carcedo’s final match on the Pafos bench.

After 16 rounds, Omonoia Nicosia lead the way with 36 points, boasting the league’s best attack and defence, while Pafos FC and AEK Larnaca sit level on 34 points in second and third, keeping the title race tight. Aris Limassol remain in contention on 31 points, with APOEL close behind on 29 despite having a game in hand. Apollon Limassol have climbed to sixth on 27, followed by AEL Limassol on 24. The bottom half is congested, with Olympiakos Nicosia and Omonoia Aradippou both on 17, while Ethnikos Achna and Anorthosis Famagusta are level on 14. At the foot of the table, Krasava struggle on 11 points, with Paralimni anchored to last place on just one point.