League Play-Off

Graikochóri
Spectators: 36 (Terracing: 28, Seating: 8, VIP seats: 0) Dark clouds were building up when the players entered the field. None of the them looked very eager to play. Kroios Sarantopoulos started the match with the kick off. The supporters of APOEL booed when Graikochóri was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 4 match minutes in a wonderful position. Marios Arvanitoyannis didn't get a good kick on the ball. In the 6th minute Iphiklos Demarchis shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Haimon Tsardikos saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. Aietes Karakinos sent away a hard shot on goal in the 9th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. Graikochóri's Haimon Tsardikos played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Aietes Karakinos in the 16th minute of play. After 22 minutes Graikochóri's defender was forced to head the ball over the line for a corner. It was Asopos Morikis who took care of the corner kick. Michalis Lalas was in a good position and managed to take a shot, but he missed just to the outside of the post. The audience thought a goal was coming when Stelios Telis got free with Sokratis Michalaras in the 27th minute, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with a huge effort. Stelios Telis might have been able to make a better finish in the 29th minute when he tried to place a hard shot over Sokratis Michalaras. Instead the ball went over the crossbar and out. Stelios Telis ran back to his position shaking his head. Graikochóri's Kroios Sarantopoulos got a good chance for a goal in the 31st minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. If Kroios Sarantopoulos had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 40th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. In the 44th minute Iphiklos Demarchis shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Haimon Tsardikos saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. The first half was very even, with the score at 1-1 when the whistle went for half-time. The players welcomed the break and quickly retired to the dressing rooms.

Both teams looked relatively alert before the second half when the referee blew his whistle to tell Aietes Karakinos to make the kick off. Haimon Tsardikos made an important save on a dangerous shot by Iphiklos Demarchis in the 53rd minute. When Stelios Telis came up free with the goalie in the 61st minute, the Graikochóri fans jumped to their feet. But the shot missed the goal by a fraction of an inch, and the fans sat back down disappointed that Stelios Telis couldn't finish the play. Sokratis Michalaras made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Kroios Sarantopoulos in the 69th minute of play. APOEL's Sokratis Michalaras played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Stelios Telis in the 70th minute of play. After 71 minutes, Prokris Picoulas mouthed his way into the referee's book. The tension between the APOEL and the Graikochóri players grew even worse after the yellow card. Prokris Picoulas kicked well hit freekick during the 71st minute of the match. Graikochóri's Haimon Tsardikos proved his good apprehension of play when he, in the 73rd minute of the match, managed to save Graikochóri from getting a goal against them. The audience was convinced that Kroios Sarantopoulos's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Sokratis Michalaras was relentless in the 75th minute of the game. Stelios Telis fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 77th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Sokratis Michalaras having to interfere. Stelios Telis fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 82nd minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Sokratis Michalaras having to interfere. Kroios Sarantopoulos recieved an excellent pass in front of the goal in the 84th minute. Unfortunately, he received the ball on his off foot and could only manage a weak shot that went over the goal. Aietes Karakinos recieved an excellent pass in front of the goal in the 88th minute. Unfortunately, he received the ball on his off foot and could only manage a weak shot that went over the goal. Neither set of supporters seemed pleased with the draw, but both teams had played equally well today.