Former Celtic manager Neil Lennon's Omonia Nicosia have lost the Cypriot Super Cup final 2-0 to Apollon Limassol.
The 17-time winners of the competition made the showpiece after winning the Cypriot Cup in the spring, facing their nation's champions for 2021/22. Lennon was watching from the stands as he served a suspension, his team losing out to Bagaliy Dabo and Vladimir Antonio goals. Andres Panayiotou was sent off for Apollon while Petros Psychas also missed a penalty for the champions.
Assistant manager Garry Parker said to Balla: "Obviously we are very disappointed. In the first half we didn't play that well, in the second we stepped up but we needed more. We really wanted to win, we conceded two goals from mistakes. We have to look ahead, improve, we have a big game on Thursday. We still need two or three players, we are looking, we hope to have them by the week."
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It was a game that had its share of bother at the AEK Arena, home of fellow First Division club AEK Larnaca, according to Cypriot media site Super Sport FM.
They report 'several parts of the stadium were turned into... a garbage dump' and 'some were singing the national anthem and others were disapproving with whistles and curses.'
Fans were holding seats taken out of the stands and there was an exchange of 'political slogans, objects and tensions.' Next up for the former Celtic manager is Gent in a Europa League play-off first leg next Thursday.
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