The Pafiako Stadium Seems Haunted – Where They Went Wrong
Despite taking the lead, Aris returned defeated from Paphos. The ‘Stelios Kyriakides’ stadium seems a bit haunted for the light brigade since they entered the elite of Cypriot football…
In these 5 years, they have never managed to break the home ground of last year’s champions.
On Friday night, they stumbled for two reasons:
– They conceded an equalizing goal almost immediately after Goldson’s 0-1. It’s the worst for a team when their defense is breached right after the opponent’s kickoff.
– In the second half, when the match gained momentum, they were unlucky with Mayambela’s shot hitting the post. A few minutes later, Correia punished them for the second time.
Overall, the greens from Limassol lacked the right mentality for a team aiming to chase the championship. Offensively, they weren’t bad, but their poor defensive behavior cost them.
Kalulu received a poor grade as he was responsible for marking Correia, who scored both goals for the champions. He lost him in other phases too.
Losing to last year’s champions at their home is not the end of the world. However, with a different strategy, they might have avoided defeat.
Kvilitaia didn’t start because Ratskov kept him out due to a fever. He was substituted in during the second half. He found himself in a relatively… timely position only once but couldn’t secure the ball…
Montnor, their top scorer, wasn’t in the lineup either, likely due to his long journey back from his commitments with Suriname’s national team.
According to stadium officials, 637 tickets were sold in the section where Aris fans were seated. Attendance was satisfactory considering they aren’t a team with a large popular following.
