Pafos saw out a dramatic 4-2 victory over Dinamo Tirana in extra time at the Alpha Mega Stadium, progressing through the UEFA Conference League playoff round. The Cypriot side had trailed early on, the visitors taking a shock lead within eight minutes, but eventually found their rhythm to force a second half of football that lasted beyond the ninety minutes. It was not a clean victory, by then, but the result meant Pafos held the tie in their own hands for the return leg.
Dinamo Tirana struck first through D. Fadairo, who had only just arrived in the match, and that early goal seemed to settle the Albanians into a comfortable pattern. Pafos responded through K. Sema, who pulled the strings in the midfield to level matters by the thirteenth minute. The home side refused to go away after that, though they never quite got out of second gear against a disciplined defence that kept clearing everything in its path.
Regular time ended in stalemate, neither team able to break the deadlock despite Pafos creating more. N. Ioannou finally gave the hosts the lead in the seventy-eighth minute, but Dinamo Tirana responded through R. Silva-Richards with a goal of their own in the eighty-seventh. The match stretched to extra time, where both sides traded yellow cards and substitutions before the decisive moment arrived.
Anderson Silva scored the winner in the 121st minute, his effort finding the net after a period of sustained pressure from Pafos. D. Quina had added a second goal for the hosts in the 117th minute, but it was Silva's strike that ultimately decided matters. The home side never got going in the first period of extra time, but when they did, they made it count.
The statistics tell a story of dominance without conversion. Pafos registered eight shots on target against two for their opponents, with expected goals figures of 2.79 to 0.75. Six big chances created compared to two for Dinamo Tirana meant the home side had the better opportunities, but it took extra time to finally close out the result.
The 4-2 victory on aggregate gives Pafos a comfortable cushion heading into the second leg. Dinamo Tirana will need to produce something special away from home, though their recent form — including a 4-0 win over Auda — suggests they will not roll over. The table goes out of the window in these games, and Pafos now control their own destiny with one foot in the next round.