Jen and I had booked a fortnight in Cyprus back in December, well before the latest Middle East drama. My Mam was convinced that we should cancel, particularly after the drone attack on one of the military bases, but that’s what Mams always say.
We were staying up in the hills on the edge of a small village, so I doubt there was much prospect of any missiles heading our way. It was quiet enough, certainly more so than in Paphos, which had so many Brits strolling around that it might as well have been Scarborough.
As you may have suspected, a reason for selecting Cyprus was that it is one of the countries where I’d yet to see a football match. There weren’t too many options with our first week coinciding with the break for the international fixtures.
One week in, we headed eastwards towards Erimi for a game in the third division. We stopped off at the archeological site at Kourion for a wander around the ruins. It was worth a look, with some well-preserved mosaics. I’d seen a snake the previous day, when wandering around some ruins in Paphos, and so spent most of my time hoping to see another.
We also had time to visit Kolossi Castle before the match, but there were no snakes there either. After a quick lunch, we drove further into Emiri to the Koinotiko Stadium. It had started to rain whilst we were at the castle and so Jen decided that she would stay in the car.
I paid my six euros admission and in a segregated ground had a choice of left or right. I went left and found myself in with the away fans. There wasn’t any shelter and so I just took a place at the top of the terracing where I was able to see most of the action over the top of the pitch side fencing.
The game was a relegation battle. Kouris Emiris, in fifteenth place in a sixteen-team division, looked doomed with only six points all season, but Omonia, in fourteen place, still might avoid the drop into the fourth tier.
The rain got heavier as the first half progressed. A lady very kindly insisted that I took her umbrella on the basis that she could share the one that her son was using. I was very grateful.
It was a typically hard-fought game, with lots of tackles flying in. Both benches screamed for everything, and I thought the ref did well to keep control.
The visitors took the lead after twenty minutes. The shot beat the keeper but slowed before it reached the line. The defender’s desperate lunge was just too late to keep it out and all those around me forgot the rain in the celebrations.
The weather improved in the second half as Kouris Emiris came back into the game. They equalized on the hour and after the visitors had a man sent off, nicked a winner with ten minutes to go. I felt sorry for the lady who had lent me her umbrella as even a point would have moved her team out of the bottom three, but that’s how it goes.
The game took the total number of countries where I’ve watched a football match to sixty-eight.
Trail of the Lion King 
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