Akritas 1-0 Paralimni Akritas claimed their first win of the season with a moment of brilliance from Pavel Zabelin, whose stunning free kick in the 42nd minute settled the contest. Paralimni thought they had struck first when Michalis Charalambous found the net, but VAR ruled the effort out for offside. Zabelin had already tested goalkeeper Panayiotou with a powerful free kick midway through the half, before Paralimni responded through Krainz, whose drive was pushed over the bar by Pentreou. The decisive moment arrived three minutes before the break. From fully 30 yards, Zabelin whipped a free kick off the inside of the post and into the top corner – a strike worthy of winning any match. Paralimni’s best chance to rescue a point came deep into stoppage time, but Ivan Laca headed well wide, leaving Akritas to celebrate a vital victory. Apollon 0-3 Krasava Krasava produced a statement performance at the Alphamega Stadium, sweeping aside Apollon with a commanding 3-0 victory. The visitors went ahead after just 10 minutes, Teixeira unleashing a fierce strike from distance that flew beyond Leeuwenburgh. Apollon pushed for a reply, with Ali Youssef and Gary Rodriguez both going close, but the equaliser never came. Krasava extended their lead in the 62nd minute when Bahassa’s cross was misjudged by Leeuwenburgh, leaving Christodoulou to nod into an empty net. Apollon were handed a lifeline 20 minutes later when awarded a penalty for handball, but Weissbeck blazed his effort over the bar. Any faint hopes of a comeback were extinguished in stoppage time as Teixeira raced clear to slot home his second and Krasava’s third. It was a ruthless display from Krasava – and a damaging defeat for Apollon that leaves head coach Sofronis Avgousti facing uncomfortable questions. Omonoia Aradippou 0-1 Aris Limassol Aris Limassol left it late once again, with Edi Semedo striking deep into stoppage time to secure their second win from as many games. The visitors made a lively start, with Montnor testing Kostic at his near post inside four minutes. Moments later, Mayambela pounced on a loose pass but fired straight at the goalkeeper when clean through. The home side offered little in attack, their only real chance of the first half arriving in the 33rd minute when Yansane’s angled effort was comfortably held by Vana Alves. Aris continued to press after the restart. In the 50th minute, Mayambela squandered another clear opening, shooting tamely at Kostic after being teed up by Kvilitaia. The Georgian forward then thought he had created the breakthrough just past the hour mark when he brought down a cross-field pass from Correia and fired at goal. Kostic parried, Mayambela lashed in the rebound, but VAR intervened – ruling Kvilitaia offside in the build-up. Substitute Yannick Gomis was also guilty of missing a golden opportunity late on, denied by Kostic in the 88th minute. As the game entered stoppage time, Aris piled forward. Correia first found Semedo with a cross in the 92nd minute, but the winger volleyed wide. He made no mistake nine minutes later, arriving at the back post to convert Correia’s delivery and finally break Omonoia Aradippou’s resistance. It was another dramatic finale for Aris – and another three points. Olympiakos 2-1 Anorthosis Olympiakos goalkeeper Christos Talichmanidis produced late heroics to deny Stefan Vukic from the penalty spot in stoppage time, securing a valuable 2-1 victory for his side. Anorthosis threatened early when Vukic dragged a shot wide in the sixth minute, but it was the hosts who struck first. Revazi Injgia opened the scoring with a stunning effort, curling into the top corner from 25 yards, leaving Panayi helpless in the Anorthosis goal. Olympiakos doubled their advantage on the half-hour mark. A hopeful delivery into the box caused confusion in the visiting defence, and Joao Mario reacted quickest, heading past Panayi to put the home side firmly in control. Vukic thought he had halved the deficit in the 54th minute, only for his finish to be ruled out for offside. At the other end, substitute Vladimir Bradonjic squandered a golden opportunity to seal the result in the 73rd minute, denied by Panayi in a one-on-one situation. Anorthosis finally found a way back into the contest with three minutes remaining. Kiko’s pinpoint cross was met by a powerful header from Vukic, giving Talichmanidis no chance and setting up a tense finale. The visitors pressed for an equaliser and were awarded a penalty in the 89th minute after VAR confirmed a foul by Dzepar on Sim Thandi. Vukic stepped up for his second of the evening but was thwarted by Talichmanidis, who guessed correctly to his left and preserved the win for Olympiakos. Ethnikos 2-1 Omonoia Ethnikos stunned Omonoia at the Dasaki, with Hugo Martins’ men taking all three points thanks to a brace from Nicolás Andereggen. The Argentine striker broke the deadlock deep into first-half stoppage time, guiding the hosts into the break with the advantage. He doubled the lead just after the hour mark, latching on to a Breno cross to make it 2-0. Omonoia reduced the deficit with a Semedo penalty on 80 minutes but couldn’t find a way past Ethnikos goalkeeper Toumpas in their desperate search for an equaliser. The match wasn’t short of controversy. In the 38th minute, Omonoia were furious that Ethnikos full-back Ofori escaped with only a yellow card after a high, studs-up challenge on Alpha Dionkou – a decision confirmed after a VAR check. Then, in stoppage time, Senou Coulibaly appeared to be pulled down inside the box, only for referee Chrisovalantis Theouli to wave play on. VAR reviewed the incident but stood by the on-field call, awarding only a corner. Ethnikos held their nerve to claim their first win of the campaign, while Omonoia were left fuming at both their finishing and the officiating. AEK 2-0 AEL AEK Larnaca began their league campaign in style, overcoming AEL 2-0 at the Arena thanks to a brace from Enzo Cabrera. The hosts looked sharper from the opening whistle and almost took the lead inside three minutes when Ivanović’s effort came back off the post. Cabrera struck the woodwork himself soon after, cutting inside and shooting from a tight angle. AEK’s pressure eventually told just before half-time. Miramón threaded a clever ball through the AEL defence, and Cabrera kept his composure to slot past Braga for 1-0. AEL, who failed to muster a single shot in the first half, saw their task get even tougher early in the second period when Singh was dismissed for a second yellow card after a late challenge on Milicevic. From then on, it was one-way traffic. Cabrera tested Braga again on 54 minutes before doubling the advantage midway through the half. Miramón was the provider once more, cutting the ball back for the striker to fire home his second goal of the night. The hosts could have added further gloss to the scoreline, with Youssef’s long-range strike smashing against the upright late on, their third time denied by the woodwork. AEL finally created a chance in stoppage time when Stefanović’s effort was heading goalward, only for Roberge to clear off the line. It proved too little, too late, as AEK closed out a commanding performance and secured a comfortable three points to open the season. APOEL 0-1 Pafos Pafos claimed their first victory of the season with a hard-fought 1-0 win over APOEL at the GSP, securing all three points thanks to an early strike from Dutch defender Derrick Luckassen. The decisive moment came in the 11th minute when Luckassen rose highest from a corner and powered a header past Vid Belec. From that point on, the champions were happy to sit back, defend deep and frustrate their hosts. APOEL saw plenty of the ball throughout the contest and had the better of territory, but they lacked the final touch in attack. Their first real opportunity came on 32 minutes when Pieros Sotiriou fired over from a narrow angle. Pafos responded through Pepe, whose shot from inside the box forced Belec into a save, while Stafylidis tested Michail from distance shortly after. After the break APOEL continued to press forward. Pieros shot straight at Michail in the 52nd minute, before missing their best chance of the night just after the hour. A low cross broke kindly for the striker inside the area, but from close range he couldn’t find the target. Dalcio also went close with a long-range effort that flashed narrowly wide. Substitute Tomas brought more energy to APOEL’s attack, finding space between the lines and linking play well, but Pafos held firm. Michail was alert late on to keep out a tight-angle shot from Tomas in the 83rd minute as the visitors stood strong under pressure. In the end, APOEL’s dominance counted for nothing. Pafos returned to the west coast with their first points of the season and climbed into the top five, while APOEL were left to reflect on a frustrating evening that saw them slip to seventh in the table. Post navigation Tahsin Ozler Leaves Omonoia for Turkey’s Ankara Keçiörengücü VAR THE DIFFERENCE AS CYPRUS FALL IN LINZ