Diony scores a hat-trick as Omonia overcome Sint-Truiden

Omonia defeated Sint-Truiden 4-2 in Nicosia and advanced 4-3 on aggregate. Lois Diony scored a hat-trick before Nikolas Panagiotou added the fourth goal.

Diony changed the tie before half-time

Omonia received a penalty in the 16th minute and Diony converted it. The forward scored again in the 29th minute, giving the Cypriot side control of the match. Sint-Truiden answered through Ilias Sebaoui four minutes later. His penalty reduced the deficit and kept the Belgian club in the contest at half-time. The next goal remained important because the first leg had ended with Sint-Truiden ahead by one. Omonia started the second leg one goal behind, so Diony’s early penalty immediately removed that deficit. The striker stayed central for the next attack instead of drifting away from the area. His second finish arrived before the half-hour mark and forced Sint-Truiden to chase a different match. Two goals from the same forward had changed control of the tie in 13 minutes.

Panagiotou’s late goal added security from a different position. The defender stayed involved in the attack and converted the chance in the 82nd minute. Omonia could then protect the central route and avoid an unnecessary exchange of attacks. The visitors continued to push, but they required more than one late finish to reverse the situation. The match also required Omonia to handle two penalties against them. Sebaoui scored both, so the home side never received help from a missed spot kick. Omonia’s answer came through creating enough chances of its own. Three goals from Diony and one from Panagiotou outweighed the visitors’ two successful penalties.

The third goal gave Omonia room to manage the match

Diony completed his hat-trick in the 50th minute. Omonia then protected the central areas and waited for chances to counter. The visitors needed two goals to move back in front in the tie. Panagiotou scored in the 82nd minute after staying forward during an Omonia attack. His finish gave the home side a three-goal lead on the night and removed most of the late pressure. Sebaoui’s first penalty prevented the contest from becoming comfortable before the interval. Sint-Truiden still had a direct route back into the qualification places.

Omonia therefore needed a controlled restart rather than assuming the first-half work was enough. Diony supplied it in the 50th minute by completing his hat-trick soon after play resumed.

Sebaoui converted a second penalty in added time and completed a two-goal personal performance. The timing left Sint-Truiden with almost no opportunity to create another attack. Omonia used the remaining substitution and closed the match. The Belgian side had responded twice from the spot, yet Diony’s open-play contribution had already built the decisive margin. Kousoulos entered only after the second added-time penalty. His task was brief and practical: add fresh defensive energy and help close the final passage of play. Omonia did not need another attack by that stage. Keeping the ball away from its own area was enough to preserve the qualification already built through the earlier goals.

Sebaoui scored again in added time

Sebaoui converted another penalty in the second minute of added time. The goal changed the match score but did not prevent Omonia from advancing. Omonia used its final substitution after the goal, with Ioannis Kousoulos replacing Muamer Tankovic. The home side then closed the remaining minutes and secured a place in the league phase.

The three Diony goals came at useful moments. The first cancelled the first-leg disadvantage, the second established a home lead and the third restored breathing room after Sebaoui’s response. That sequence explains his influence more clearly than repeating the final figures. Omonia repeatedly found its striker when the state of the tie demanded another action. Omonia advanced after changing the tie at home rather than relying on the first leg. The team produced goals from a centre-forward and a defender, then managed the closing period after Panagiotou’s finish. Sint-Truiden leaves with evidence of Sebaoui’s composure, but the visitors could not stop Diony during the most important part of the night.