B92, Serbia
Oct 14 2007
Euro 2008: Hope fading fast after Yerevan debacle
14 October 2007 | 15:56 | Source: B92
YEREVAN — Serbia’s Euro 2008 qualification hopes were left hanging
by a thread after a 0-0 draw with Armenia in Yerevan.
The result means that qualification is no longer within their own
hands, and that even wins in their remaining three matches against
Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Poland may not guarantee them a place in
the finals in Austria and Switzerland next year.
And the sad fact is, they did not even deserve a point, following
another amateurish display, where the home side missed a string of
second-half chances to leave Serbia truly high and dry.
Contrary to expectation, Javier Clemente chose to go with a 4-4-2
formation with two front men, Nikola ?igiæ and Marko Panteliæ,
supported from midfield by captain Dejan Stankoviæ and Milo? Krasiæ,
in a tactic he had last employed in the defeat in Brussels two months
ago.
The match started quite openly with Panteliæ and Kuzmanoviæ going
close for the visitors, while Serbia keeper Vladimir Stojkoviæ had to
be at his best to deny Melkonian and Pachajyan, although the latter
intervention was as much down to good fortune as anything else, as
the Armenian striker drilled his shot from point-blank range directly
into the keeper’s face.
Of further concern to the manager was the apparent confusion in the
ranks of the back four, deprived of lynchpin Nemanja Vidiæ through
injury, with the Armenians’ pacy wingers clearly troubling Milan
Stepanov and Zoran To?iæ.
The second half continued in much the same vein as the first, with
the Armenians, whose former manager Ian Porterfield died earlier this
month, increasingly imposing themselves.
Right-wing Hovsepyan in particular was causing havoc down Serbia’s
left flank breaking the visitors’ offside trap on numerous occasions.
With ten minutes remaining he left To?iæ for dust, reaching the
byline, before squaring the ball back for Karayman, who ruined all
the winger’s good, scooping the ball over when it looked easier to
score.
Three minutes from time, they made a similar break, this time
Patchayan leaving the Serb back four flat-footed. This time though
the culprit was substitute striker Aram Hakobyan who scuffed his shot
wide of Stojkoviæ’s right hand post.
At full time, both sides left the field disappointed: the visitors at
the sheer ineptness of their performance, the home side at their
failure to take advantage of the gilt-edged chances that came their
way in the second period.
After the game, team captain Stankoviæ summed up the team’s feelings:
`We knew that in games like these we have to score early on, then the
opposition loses heart and doesn’t put up as much of a fight. Sadly
we didn’t take our chances, and we had one as early as the 11th
minute. It would be much easier if we were sixth in the table, but
when I think back on how we drew with Portugal, beat Finland away,
but then slipped up against Kazakhstan and Armenia, it’s much harder
to accept."
In the evening’s other matches in Group A, Poland and Portugal took
big steps towards qualification for the championships next year with
3-1 and 0-2 victories against Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan respectively.
Meanwhile, in Brussels, Belgium and Finland fought out a goalless
draw.
The results mean that Poland lead the group with 24 points from 12
games, from Portugal and Finland with 20, though the former have a
game in hand. Serbia trail on 17 points, also with a game in hand.
Their next match is on Wednesday night away to Azerbaijan in Baku.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress