Cypriots ease past Malta

A goal in each half against Malta earned Cyprus a 2-0 victory, their first win in Group 1 of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

Comfortable win
Charalampos Pittakas and Nektarios Alexandrou were the goalscorers in a comfortable victory for the home nation that saw two efforts ruled out for offside and several attempts hit the woodwork. It was just the result Cyprus would have wanted after going down 1-0 against France in their first group match in September.

Defence breached
Pittakas put the Cypriots in front after three minutes. It came about after Alexandrou’s header caused all sorts of problems among the Maltese defence and Pittakas prodded the ball into the net.

Strong header
The home side had to wait until 15 minutes from the end to make the game safe. Alexandrou met Savas Parmakis’s cross with a powerful header and the three points were secure.