NICOSIA, Cyprus (Interstat) — Cyprus U17 erased a two-goal deficit with two late goals and earned a 2-2 draw against Faroe Islands U17 in a global football match on Friday. The home side trailed for more than half an hour after Faroe Islands U17 struck twice in the second half, but Cyprus U17 found a way to split the points at the end. The result left Cyprus U17 with a season record in this competition of 0 wins, no losses and one draw, matching its across-all-competitions mark. Faroe Islands U17 is now 0 wins, one loss and one draw in this competition and across all competitions. The teams entered the match without a win in the competition, and the late drama kept that winless run intact for both.

Faroe Islands U17, the visiting side, opened the scoring in the 51st minute when Paetur Hojgaard found the net. Hojgaard’s statline included 44 minutes and one goal. The visitors doubled their advantage in the 67th minute through Andrew Poulsen, who played the full 90 minutes and scored once. Poulsen’s goal gave Faroe Islands U17 a 2-0 lead and put Cyprus U17 under pressure. Faroe Islands U17 had earlier lost 4-0 to Romania U17 in a previous match this season, and the visitors looked set to secure their first point of the campaign before the late collapse. The first half ended without a goal, and Faroe Islands U17’s breakthrough came early in the second half.

The match changed in the final minutes. Cyprus U17 responded with a late surge, beginning when Dimitris Michail Ntemis pulled one back in the 88th minute with a 14-minute statline and one goal. Melinos Kais then equalized in the 90th minute plus two, also with a 14-minute statline and one goal. The two quick strikes turned a difficult afternoon into a draw for the home side. Kais’s goal capped a comeback that had seemed unlikely when Poulsen scored for Faroe Islands U17. Cyprus U17 pressed for the leveler and was rewarded when Kais scored in stoppage time. The equalizer came after Cyprus U17 had made several second-half substitutions.

Discipline was a theme as the game tightened. Faroe Islands U17’s E. Jacobsen was booked in the 45th minute, F. Jarnskor in the 48th and F. Jovevic in the 65th. Cyprus U17’s A. Panayiotou and Faroe Islands U17’s C. C. Codron received yellow cards in the 89th minute. Faroe Islands U17 made a halftime substitution with M. Jonsson. The visitors later brought on E. Begerau and E. Poulsson Linklett in the 81st minute. Cyprus U17 made five second-half changes: A. Glafkou and K. Georgiou in the 57th minute, P. Kimonos in the 65th, and P. Koumi and G. Makkoulas in the 76th. The substitutions added fresh legs as the match opened up in the closing stages.

The draw kept both teams without a win in this competition this season. Cyprus U17 is still seeking its first victory after one match, while Faroe Islands U17 has one loss and one draw from two matches. The visitors had the better of the scoreboard for much of the second half, but Cyprus U17’s late pressure produced the goals needed to level the match. Poulsen’s full 90 minutes and one goal were part of Faroe Islands U17’s attacking effort, while Hojgaard scored in his 44 minutes on the field. Ntemis and Kais each scored in 14-minute appearances for Cyprus U17. Faroe Islands U17’s two-goal cushion did not hold, and Cyprus U17’s bench contributed to the comeback.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Cyprus U17 1, Faroe Islands U17 0. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Cyprus U17 with a 69.6 percent probability to win.