Omonia defeated by Benfica in Europa League match

On October 22, 2026, Omonia Nicosia hosted Benfica at the GSP Stadium for the third round of the UEFA Europa League, resulting in a 1-4 defeat for the Cypriot side. Benfica took an early lead through a 14th-minute own goal by Nego, but Omonia equalized in the 42nd minute with a goal by Andronikos Kakoullis, who with this effort equaled the club’s record of 11 European goals set by Rainer Rauffmann and Willy Semedo. In the second half, Benfica demonstrated superior clinical finishing, scoring three times through Vangelis Pavlidis in the 49th minute, Fredrik Aursnes in the 76th, and Prestianni in the 85th.

Pavlidis, the Greek international striker, notably chose not to celebrate his goal out of respect for the home crowd, stating he felt their support throughout the evening. Following the match, Omonia manager Henning Berg praised his team's first-half competitiveness but acknowledged that defensive lapses in the second half determined the result.

This loss leaves Omonia with six points after three matches, having previously defeated Celta and Celje. The club now shifts its focus to the upcoming domestic match against AEK Larnaca on October 26, before returning to European action on November 5 against Nijmegen in the Netherlands.