ALKI win battle at the bottom of the league
22 Octoner 2018
Both teams went into this fixture knowing that a win was a must and the 3 points will go a long way in the hopes of survival in the top flight. The game was played at the 'Pafiako' as a must win game and nothing less.
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Pafos FC not having a good start to the season and already dismissing Steven Pressley from his coaching duties and having on the bench for this game the newly hired Croatian tactician Zeljko Kopic. The Croatian was given the all green and was getting his first taste of Cyprus football.
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The board of Alki have shown faith in Kostas Sakkas until now and he returned from Pafos with all 3 points for the team. Alki although not having a win before the game have shown more stability in members of the coaching staff and players.
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The game had a slow pace as both teams not having the confidence of attacking. The game was being played in the middle of the field until Alki started controlling the middle and having a couple of long range shots on goal and testing Joel Mall in the Pafos goal. On the other end Pafos get a good chance but Nemec ends up having a wild shot missing the top of the goal. Near the end of the first half Alki get a free kick outside the box and Spoljaric takes a low shot that ends up in the back of the net skipping by the Pafos wall and Mall.
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In the second half Pafos gave caution to the wind and had to go for goal in front of the local fans. The game opened up more and Pafos had some chances to get back in the game but could not get the ball to cross the line. One last chance came in stoppage time to Kevin Holt but the header missed the target and Pafos missed the opportunity to kick start the season again.
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After the match, Coach Sakkas was happy with the efforts of his team and the result. Alki deserved to win as they showed more patience and were settled throughout the match. The 3 points will give Alki a boost to continue the form in the coming games. As for Mr. Kopic, this was the first time he watched his new team in a competitive match and said that he needs more time to prepare his players.