NICOSIA, May 13 (Xinhua) --The Cyprus Football Association championship season came to an end on Sunday, with Nicosia's APOEL soccer team emerging as the winner with its sixth back-to-back title and the 27th in its history.
APOEL secured the championship with a goal two minutes from time, which gave it a 2-1 win over Anorthosis on Saturday and an advantage of 4 points over its nearest rival Apollon of Limassol, who were the losers in their last game of the season.
APOEL were the better team on the field, but stress and nervousness affected their shooting and they were one goal down after 25 minutes.
An equalizer by Spanish defender Emilio Ensue two minutes before half-time gave them more confidence but they still kept missing chance after chance to score.
The winning goal came in the 88th minute after an intricate pass of the ball by five players in front of the Apollon goal post and a right volley from just two meters by center striker Michael Pote, from Benin.
"Coming so late in the game, the winning goal was even sweeter. But it should, and it could, come much earlier," said APOEL captain Nuno Morais.
By winning the championship, APOEL has secured a place in the European Championship, which is a source of considerable income for the club.
