LARNACA, Cyprus (Interstat) — APOEL overcame an opening-minute red card and a second-half deficit, getting two late goals from Anastasios Bakasetas to beat Omonia Aradippou 2-1 in a global football match on Sunday at Stadio Antonis Papadopoulos. APOEL improved to 4 wins, 2 losses and 2 draws in the competition and 5 wins, 2 losses and 2 draws across all competitions. Omonia Aradippou fell to 0 wins and 4 losses in the competition and 1 win and 4 losses across all competitions.

The match was turned upside down after only a minute when APOEL’s J. Sastre was shown a red card. That left APOEL to play virtually the entire match with 10 men and forced it to chase the game from an unfamiliar posture. APOEL nevertheless kept its shape and gradually found passing lanes despite the man disadvantage. Omonia Aradippou could not immediately turn the numerical advantage into a goal, but it stayed compact and made APOEL work for every possession.

The first half became a scrappy, card-heavy affair. Omonia Aradippou’s V. De Marco was booked in the 26th minute, Mathias Gonzalez followed in the 28th, and De Marco was booked again in the 36th. APOEL’s Bakasetas went into the book in first-half stoppage time, in the 45th minute plus two. The bookings disrupted rhythm and limited clear chances before the break, though APOEL’s task remained complicated by its early sending-off. Omonia Aradippou pressed with numbers but could not convert territory into a shot on target before the interval.

Omonia Aradippou broke through in the 72nd minute when Bogdan Petrovic scored. Petrovic, whose statline read 44 minutes and one goal, gave the home side a 1-0 lead and put APOEL under pressure with time running down. The goal rewarded Omonia Aradippou for a disciplined second half and raised the possibility of an upset against a side that had been favored before kickoff.

APOEL responded through Bakasetas in the 77th minute. The equalizer changed the closing stages and forced Omonia Aradippou to defend deeper. Bakasetas, who played the full 90 minutes, finished with two goals and a yellow card. His first goal leveled the match, and his second in the 89th minute completed the comeback and gave APOEL the lead for good. The visitors kept pressing after the equalizer and found the winner in the final minutes.

The late swing overshadowed a busy disciplinary sheet. Omonia Aradippou’s S. Lomonaco was booked in the 58th minute, APOEL’s D. Mancini in the 84th and Omonia Aradippou’s N. Havelka in the 88th. Omonia Aradippou made substitutions at halftime involving Mathias Gonzalez and G. Pontikos, then replaced Lomonaco in the 64th minute. APOEL brought on A. Barak in the 63rd, Marquinhos and Dalcio in the 73rd, and A. Carrillo and D. Limnios in the 90th. Omonia Aradippou also used J. Izquierdo and A. El Bouchataoui in the 90th.

APOEL’s previous form included a 5-2 win over Halkanoras, a 4-1 win over Omonia 29th May, a 0-0 draw at Pafos, a 2-1 home win over Nea Salamis, a 2-2 draw at Apollon, a 1-2 loss at Anorthosis, a 6-0 win over AEL and a 1-3 loss at AEK. Omonia Aradippou had beaten Digenis Akritas 6-3, lost at Anorthosis 0-2, lost to AEL Limassol 0-2 and lost at AEK Larnaca 0-1. The result left APOEL with momentum before its scheduled game at Aradippou. Omonia Aradippou remained without a competition win.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Omonia Aradippou 2, APOEL 2. Interstat’s ELO system had projected APOEL with a 67.3 percent probability to win. APOEL had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score of 3 went under the over/under line of 2.5.