Nations League: Armenia held 1-1 by Cyprus in Yerevan
- Published
- Place
- Yerevan, Armenia
- Event date
- Past event —
Summary
Armenia drew 1-1 with Cyprus on Thursday 12 November at Yerevan’s Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium in the UEFA Nations League. Iasonas Pikis put the Cypriots ahead as early as the 9th minute. Artur Gharibyan, the forward of Russian club Rodina, equalised in the 58th minute from an Artur Serobyan pass. Yeghishe Melikyan’s side had two more goals disallowed. It was the last home game of the campaign. Before the final matchday, Armenia are third in Group C2 with 5 points, behind Montenegro (10) and Cyprus (8). They can no longer finish top. They close their campaign on Sunday 15 November in Riga against Latvia.
The start went badly. Nine minutes in, and Cyprus were already ahead. Iasonas Pikis opened the scoring for the visitors. Armenia had to chase the game. Narek Grigoryan thought he had equalised early on, but his goal was ruled out for a foul just before. At half-time, the visitors led 1-0.
The hour mark brought relief. In the 58th minute, Artur Serobyan set up Artur Gharibyan, who levelled. A little later, Gharibyan scored again. The referee disallowed it for offside. The score did not change again.
Group C2 already decided at the top
Group C2 brings together Armenia, Cyprus, Montenegro and Latvia. After this penultimate round, Montenegro lead with 10 points, ahead of Cyprus (8) and Armenia (5). Even with a win in Riga, Armenia will top out at 8 points. First place is out of reach.
The draw therefore feels like a missed chance. A win would have brought Armenia within a point of Cyprus before the final round. One match remains to improve the final standings, on Sunday in Latvia.
A depleted squad
Yeghishe Melikyan named a 28-man squad on 6 November. He had to do without several injured regulars, including Eduard Spertsyan, the Al-Ahli playmaker. Henri Avagyan, Sergey Muradyan, Julio Bueno and Finn Geragusian were also missing. Three other players were just back from injury.
For this last home game in Yerevan, the federation sold tickets online only, with passport checks. Fans were asked to arrive two hours before kick-off for security reasons.
A busy week in Yerevan
The day before, at the federation’s Academy stadium, Armenia’s under-17s lost heavily to France, 4-0, in the opening game of the Euro U17 2027 first qualifying round. They face Italy on Saturday 14 November, then Luxembourg on Tuesday 17 November.
For the senior side, what is at stake in Riga is now limited: ending the campaign with a win and moving up the table if Cyprus slip. The Cypriots have three points more than Armenia, and they kept their lead in Yerevan.
Analysis
Armenia showed character. Two goals ruled out, an equaliser built by two Arturs, an equaliser on the hour. But they conceded early again, and that is costly at this level. Without Spertsyan, the team lacks creativity in the final third. The draw changes little in the table: Montenegro are too far ahead. Above all, it shows that Melikyan needs more attacking options before the next fixtures.
Possible consequences
Final group match: Latvia vs Armenia, Sunday 15 November, in Riga. The final Group C2 standings will be known after that round.
