AEL secured a 2:1 victory over Nea Salamina in the third round of the First Division, played on Friday evening at their home ground. The result lifts the hosts to three points from two games, while the visitors remain on one point after two matches. Things came to a head in the closing stages when a late goal separated the sides after a tense contest.
Sergio Conceicao gave AEL the lead in the 43rd minute, and the hosts doubled their advantage when S. Grandsir found the net in the 53rd. Nea Salamina pulled one back through D. M. Ribeiro Gomes in the 90th minute, but it was too little, too late. AEL had missed a penalty just before half-time, and they kept a clean sheet until the final whistle.
The match was punctuated by disciplinary issues on both sides. K. Angielski was shown a red card in the 90th minute for the visitors, and there were yellow cards for B. Konate, J. Tavares, D. M. Ribeiro Gomes, R. Oudin, K. Neofytou, E. Antoniou, P. Louka, G. Christodoulou, K. Angielski and Aldair across the full-time period. By then, several substitutions had already reshuffled the line-ups, with G. Viktoros, S. Grandsir, J. Tavares, K. Neofytou and F. R. Mughe coming on for AEL.
The statistics tell a story of control without dominance. AEL held 56 per cent possession and registered six shots on target, though only three found the woodwork or net. Nea Salamina managed two shots on target from seven attempts off target, and their corners were limited to three. The hosts had 80 attacks to their opponents' 57, and the accuracy rate of 43 per cent for AEL compared to 22 per cent for the visitors suggests chances went begging for both sides.
The result keeps AEL in the mix at the bottom half of the table, moving them off the foot of the standings. Nea Salamina's loss extends their winless run and leaves them in 10th place. The hosts will fancy their chances after the heavy defeat to APOEL on Wednesday, but they have nothing to do all evening against a side that switched off at a set piece.
