Cyprus were given a scare on the way to their 3-1 victory over 10-man Gibraltar in their clash at Nicosia.

The hosts took a deserved lead into the break after centre back Konstantinos Laifis was quickest to react to Demetris Christofi's deflected free kick and poked the ball past Gibraltar goalkeeper Deren Ibrahim.

The visitors replied six minutes after the restart when Lee Casciaro headed in Ryan Casciaro's cross as they searched for their first-ever competitive point in major tournament qualification.

Pieros Sotiriou restored Cyprus' lead on 65 minutes before Jayce Mascarenhas-Olivero was dismissed 10 minutes from time, with Valentinos Sielis adding a third late on to seal Cyprus' first points in Group H.