AEL Limassol wins first Cyprus title in 44 years

AEL Limassol won its first Cyprus league title in 44 years at the expense of Champions League quarterfinalist APOEL Nicosia on Saturday.

AEL's 1-0 win against Anorthosis Famagusta combined with APOEL's 2-1 loss to crosstown rival Omonia earned AEL its sixth ever league championship.

Brazilian midfielder Luciano Bebe scored in the 74th minute for AEL, which led the standings by an unassailable five points with one round to go.

APOEL and Omonia were tied for second.

''This is the time to celebrate because these players fully deserve this,'' AEL coach Pambos Christodoulou said. ''This is also dedicated to all the AEL fans.''

AEL President Andreas Sophocleous said his team's success was owed to its consistent play throughout the season.

''We're all still trying to grasp that we're champions, that this is for real,'' said Sophocleous. ''We had the most consistent team, all of us on the team worked very hard for this.''

AEL has a chance to earn a league double when it plays Omonia in the League Cup final on May 16.

Televised images from the seaside resort of Limassol showed hundreds of jubilant fans pouring into the streets to celebrate, as cars festooned with AEL's colors of blue and yellow flooded the town's main thoroughfares honking horns.

APOEL made history this season by being the first team from this small eastern Mediterranean island to reach the quarterfinals of Europe's top club competition.

APOEL coach Ivan Jovanovic congratulated AEL and wished it would also qualify for the Champions League group stage. He said he's to blame for APOEL missing out on repeating as champion.

''I believed we had the strength, but in the end we didn't make it. I have no complaints about my players for this one game. The responsibility weighs more on me than on my players,'' said Jovanovic. ''I'm disappointed because I believed that we could win the title.''

APOEL can still qualify for the Europa League.