Iraklis fend off battling Anorthosis

Iraklis FC 4-2 Anorthosis Famagusta FC
Iraklis FC temporarily relaxed their grip on their UEFA Cup first round first-leg tie against Cypriot side Anorthosis Famagusta FC, letting a 3-0 lead slip before finally going on to win 4-2.

Open and entertaining
In an open, entertaining game watched by 4,000 fans, Iraklis had the better of the first half, and finally took the lead a minute before half-time through Marcin Miciel.

Two in a minute
Two goals inside a minute in the second half looked to have tilted the tie Iraklis' way. Ieroklis Stoltidis made it 2-0 after 50 minutes, and Panayotis Gonias added a third soon after.

Fighting Cypriots
But instead of racing away with the match, Iraklis struggled for a period, and Marios Neophytu reduced the arrears for Anorthosis after 61 minutes. The Cypriots had been rewarded for a battling performance.

Two each for Gonias, Neophytu
Nevertheless, Gonias made it 4-1 late on, only for Neophytu to grab his second for Anorthosis from the penalty spot on the whistle.

Good for the fans
Ivan Jovanovic, the Iraklis coach, was satisfied after the match. "It was a good game for the spectators, because there were a lot of goals. We looked ready to qualify after going into a 3-0 lead, but we relaxed and let our opponents come back."