May 7, 2024
The 2023/24 Armenian Premier League is approaching its conclusion, with 4 rounds of league matches left to be played. Today’s match was the sixth review of football in Armenia, and the first since Urartu’s First Round Champions League qualifying match at home to Bosnia and Herzegovina Champions HSK Zrinjski Mostar back in early July, which Urartu unluckily lost to a late winner against the run of play.
Urartu This Season
Champions last season, Urartu came into today’s fixture in 4th place with a 12-9-11 record, 23 points off third place but three points clear of fifth placed Alashkert.
After their 0-1 home loss to HSK Zrinjski Mostar, they turned the tables in the away return leg, winning 3-2, only to lose a penalty shootout. Dropping down to the Europa Conference, Romanian Champions Farul Constanta were too strong, winning both legs 3-2 to eliminate Urartu.
Several of the players that featured in the ties against Zrinjski have since left Urartu. Ghanian defender Nana Antwi has joined Romanians FCSB, Nigerian midfielder Ugochukuw Iwu has signed for Russian side Ruban Kazan, Brazilian midfielder Marcos Junior has gone home to play for Nautico, midfielder Narek Grigoryan is now with Farul Constanta, Russian striker Artem Maksimenko plays for Sokol Saratov in his home country, ex-Arsenal forward Yaya Sonogo has moved to China to play for Qingdao Red Lions, and Aras Ozbiliz has retired.
Urartu have reached the final of the Armenian Cup and will play Ararat-Armenia next weekend. Victory in the final would give them a place in the Second Qualifying Round of the Europa Conference. Defeat would leave them battling for fourth place in the league to play in the First Qualifying Round of the Europa Conference.
Urartu’s recent form has been poor. Since the winter break they had won only two of 12 matches, and had taken only one point from their last four games, which was a 0-0 home draw against struggling Shirak in their last outing. Russian striker Temur Dzhikiya was their leading scorer with 11 goals.
West Armenia
West Armenia were formed in 2019 and are in their first season in the Premier League after winning the 2022/23 First League.
Home is the Junior Sport Stadium located to the south of the centre of Yerevan, which has an artificial surface and 1,188 seats in its one main stand. Houses and flats are behind two sides of the ground whilst there is a busy main road behind one of the goals.
West Armenia started the day in 7th place in the 10-team league, 4 points clear of the relegation play-off position. They are one of seven sides from the capital in the Premier League, with only Van, Shirak and Noah playing in the provinces.
West Armenia started the season in disastrous fashion, losing their first 6 matches, including a 2-5 home hammering at the hands of Urartu, and looked likely for an immediate return to the First League. However, they won their next two matches, 2-0 at home to Van and 4-0 at BKMA to kick start their season. Since then, they had steadily picked up points and registered a further 7 victories, including two over Urartu, both 2-1 away wins.
However, their recent form hadn’t been too good, with just one point from their four most recent matches, and last time out they slumped to a 1-4 home defeat to Pyunik.
Russian striker Zakhar Tarasenko and forward Sargis Metoyan were the top scorers for West Armenia with 6 goals, whilst Russian midfielder Mikhail Strelnik had made the most appearances with 30.
Matchday Information
AA Route Planner advises that the distance from the Urartu Stadium to the Junior Sports Stadium is 5km and should normally take 11 minutes by road.
Perhaps with one-eye on the forthcoming Cup final, Urartu made nine changes from the side that drew with Shirak, with only Erik Simonyan and Arman Ghazaryan keeping their places in the starting line-up. Only four Armenians were in their team, with four Russians ( keeper Alexsandr Mishiev, midfielders Nikolai Prudnikov and Oleg Polyakov and forward Leon Sabua ), Ukrainian and Serbian defenders Yevhen Tsymbalyuk and Uros Stojanovic, and Nigerian midfielder Luqman Gilmore completing their XI. Ukranian substitute Andriy Kravchuk previously had a short spell with Cork City and Burkina Faso International Dramane Salou ( 2 caps ) was with Belarus side Slutsk in 2020.
More surprisingly, West Armenia made ten changes from the side that lost to Pyunik, with only full-back Arman Khachatryan staying in the side ! They only included three local players, but selected four Nigerians ( Chukwuebuka Okoronkwo, Julius Ufuoma, Chidera Oparocha and Barry Isaac - who was on loan from Urartu but was permitted to play against his parent club ), three Russians ( Nikolay Rybikov, Tarasenko and Strelnik ) and young Italian centre-back Stefano Crevellaro. Malian midfielder Hadji Drame, formerly with Estonian side Paide and previously mentioned in despatches by these diaries, was amongst their substitutes
Unusually, Bet365.com did not offer any odds for an Armenian Premier League match, which often means there has been some suspicious betting patterns on it.
The weather at the 16.00 local kick-off time ( 13.00 UK ) was dry with temperatures around 15 degrees, and although there was a chance of showers forecasted for later in the match these stayed away .
The match was shown live on the Armenian Premier League YouTube channel.
Urartu took to the field in a change kit of all pale orange, whilst West Armenia were in all black.
Match Report
The quality of the first half was perhaps summed up by the highlights shown at half-time primarily being focused on the bad fouls committed, and then the couple of near misses !
Urartu started the game brightly, passing the ball around quite nicely and had an early half-hearted appeal for a penalty when Tarakhchyan fell inside the West Armenia area, but the referee was unimpressed.
The first half-chance came in the 10th minute but Tarakhchyan’s acrobatic volley to a right wing cross went harmlessly several yards wide.
The home side’s first hint of danger came in the 12th minute, but Strelnik’s low cross was put out for a corner. From the set piece, Okoronkwo was left totally unmarked beyond the far post and his effort on the turn struck the outside of the post, although keeper Mishiev looked slow to react, and the ball rebounded away to safety.
The visitors put together a nice flowing move in the 17th minute but when the ball reached Tarakhchyan on the edge of the area his first time shot was deflected wide for a corner.
Khachatryan then launched a promising move for the home side down the left, put when the ball was teed up for Tarasenko, his 25 yard effort was meekly sent yards over the bar.
Urartu fashioned their best chance of the half in the 21st minute when Tsymbalyuk’s header from Polyakov’s corner went a few feet wide from 8 yards out. A minute later a threaded through ball from Stojanovic looked to have put Prudnikov clear, but Rybikov was quickly off his line to clear the danger.
Urartu were dominating possession with Gilmore orchestrating most of their moves, but without making any impression on the solid West Armenia defence.
West Armenia came close to opening the scoring in the 29th minute. After Urartu gave away possession in midfield, Metoyan worked the ball out to Strelnik out on the left. As keeper Mishiev anticipated a ball across the goalmouth, Strelnik played the ball towards the gaping near post, only for an outstretched leg from the keeper to prevent the ball rolling into the vacant gap.
In the 36th minute, the ball was played out wide to Tarakhchyan by Prudnikov, who then cut inside only to shots a few feet over from 25 yards. A minute later, Sabua was brought down 25 yards from the West Armenia goal but Tarakhchyan’s free-kick was straight at the keeper.
The first yellow card was brandish in the 38th minute after Ufuoma bundled over Tarakhchyan as the midfielder broke towards the West Armenia area. Gilmore’s free-kick was straight at the keeper, who made a routine save.
The last chance of the first half came on the stroke of half-time. After Urartu lost possession in the West Armenia half, Oparocha crossed for Metoyan to head from 12 yards at keeper Mishiev, who made a regulation catch.
The score remained goalless at the interval. Although Uraru had dominated possession, they had created very little, and the best chances of the half had fallen to West Armenia.
West Armenia nearly created a chance less than one minute after the restart.Tarasenko skipped past Tsymbalyuk after Polyakov lost possession, but Oparocha was just unable to control his reverse pass when clear 12 yards from goal. Tarasenko then tried his luck from 25 yards, but his effort sailed a couple of feet over the bar.
With 50 minutes played, the home side came even closer when Metoyan received Tarasenko’s pass, spun past Gharzaryan, but his shot from the edge of the area curled inches wide of the post with the keeper beaten.
Urartu’s response was for Polyakov to send a right-wing cross beyond the far post for Stojanovic to head back across goal, but the close range header from the diving Prudnikov went a couple of feet wide. West Armenia went straight back down the other end, and Strelnik’s low 35 yard effort was saved at the second attempt by Mishiev.
In the 57th minute Polyakov’s corner for Urartu was overhit and Tsymbalyuk could only gently steer on the turn straight at keeper Rybikov, but the home keeper needed to be more alert a minute later, having to push away Tarakhchyan’s 25 yard snap shot.
The second and last yellow card of the match was shown in the 60th minute after Sabua strongly remonstrated with the referee after not being given a free-kick after possibly being fouled by Isaac.
Shortly after, Tarakhchyan chopped down Crevellaro just outside the area, but the free-kick from Strelnik was weakly headed over the bar by Okoronkwo from 6 yards. West Armenia were now starting to apply some pressure and Urartu unconvincingly dealt with a corner before eventually getting a goal-kick after a few scrambles inside their area.
Urartu though then won two corners which came to nothing and then two long range attempts on goal were blocked by West Armenian defenders on their 18 yard line. However, it was the home side who continued to look the more likely, and Mishiev was just able to paw away an in-swinging corner by Strelnik.
The opening goal finally arrived in the 77th minute. Tarasenko’s ball into the six yard box was desperately cleared by Simonyan on the stretch, but when the ball was returned to Tarasenko, he beat Piloyan and Ayvazyan to make space for a shot, which took a deflection off Simonyan, to wrong foot Mishiev and bounce into the opposite corner. A little fortunate perhaps, but West Armenia deserved to be ahead. 1-0 after 77 minutes
Urartu tried to get back on level terms but although they forced three corners and sent several optimistic crosses into the West Armenia area, they didn’t look like creating any chances, and it was West Armenia who came closest to scoring the next goal of the game, but Tarasenko’s shot from the edge of the area went just over.
West Armenia comfortably saw out the four minutes of added
on time to secure a victory that saw them pull away from the danger zone. Urartu
can now concentrate on their Cup Final to secure their place in next season's
Europa Conference. Frankly, they were poor today, and few of today's side can be confident of being selected for the final.
Highlights : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA_LXN7cJrs
FC West Armenia : Rybikov – Khachatryan ( Jibril ), Crevellaro, Okoronkwo, Isaac, Martirosyan – Ufuoma, Strelnik ( Hakobyan ) – Metoyan ( Shahinyan ), Oparocha ( Drame ), Tarasenko ( Guyganov )
FC Urartu : Mishiev – Ayvazyan, Tsymbalyuk ( Piloyan ), Simonyan, Stojanovic – Prudnikov ( Salou ), Gilmore ( Kravchuk ), Polyakov, Ghazaryan ( Mirzoyan ), Tarakhchyan – Sabua ( Veliez )
