Super Eagles forward Peter Olayinka delivered a solid performance on Wednesday evening, finding the back of the net in Cyprus Cup semi-final first-leg clash, only to see his side, Apoel Nicosia, fall to defeat against Apollon Limassol.

With his team already trailing 3-1, the four-cap Nigerian international pulled one back to reduce the deficit, Footballrover reports.

Peter Olayinka scores but Apoel fall in Cyprus Cup thriller

However, it proved too little, too late, as Apoel slumped to a 4-2 defeat at the Alphamega Stadium.

The 30-year-old forward netted his first goal in the competition, but it came with a bitter taste as Apoel now face an uphill task to avoid crashing out after the six-goal thriller.

Olayinka has now scored twice this season, with his first coming on February 22, when he netted the winner against Omonia.

The hosts made a flying start, taking the lead just 10 minutes into the game through a Konstantinos Stafylidis own goal.

Apoel responded 12 minutes later, with Daniel Mancini restoring parity.

However, Apollon quickly regained control, as Pedro Marques struck before the break to cap a dominant first-half display and hand his side a 3-1 lead at halftime.

Apoel threatened a late comeback when Peter Olayinka scored in the 86th minute, but their hopes were short-lived.

Just two minutes later, Gustavo Assunção sealed the victory with a decisive fourth goal, leaving Apoel with a mountain to climb ahead of the second leg.

Tebo assists as Crvena salvage dramatic draw

Meanwhile, in the Serbian Super Liga, another Super Eagles star, Franklin Tebo, made his mark by providing an assist to help Crvena Zvezda battle to a hard-fought away draw against FK Železničar.

Despite setting up the opening goal, the 26-year-old defender watched his side surrender the lead before fighting back from 2-1 down to secure a 2-2 draw at the Sportsko-Rekreativni Centar Mladost.

Tebo featured for 45 minutes before being replaced by Miloš Veljković after picking up a yellow card in the first half.

In 15 appearances this season, the one-cap Nigerian international has now recorded two goal contributions — one goal and one assist.

The match itself was a fast-paced contest, with both sides trading blows throughout.

Crvena Zvezda struck first in the 18th minute when Mahmudu Bajo finished off a well-worked move initiated by Tebo.

However, Železničar responded almost immediately, as Kranislav Knežević fired home the equaliser just two minutes later.

Sylvester Jasper then turned the game around five minutes past the half-hour mark, giving the hosts a 2-1 lead at the break.

After the restart, Jay Enem rescued a point for the visitors with a composed finish in the 60th minute, capping off an entertaining encounter.

Despite the draw, Tebo and his teammates remain firmly at the top of the Championship Group table with 79 points from 32 matches, sitting 14 points clear of second-placed Partizan.

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Last Updated on April 23, 2026 6:29 pm by footballrover