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    Categories: 2022

Sports: Scotland v Armenia: Lyndon Dykes misses Nations League openers with Armenia and Republic of Ireland

June 5 2022

Queens Park Rangers striker Lyndon Dykes has withdrawn from the Scotland squad ahead of Wednesday's Nations League opener against Armenia.

The 26-year-old, who was substituted during last week's World Cup play-off semi-final loss to Ukraine, has picked up a quad muscle injury.

With head coach Steve Clarke having picked a larger than normal squad, no replacement has yet been called in.

Wednesday's match at Hampden is the first of three games within six days.

  • Republic fall to surprise loss in Armenia
  • 'Football taught Republic a lesson'
  • Why Nations League is important for Scots

Armenia will arrive having started their Group B1 campaign with a 1-0 victory at home to Republic of Ireland on Saturday.

Stephen Kenny's Republic then host Scotland on Saturday before Clarke takes his side to Armenia on Tuesday.

Krasnodar midfielder Eduard Spertsyan's long-range strike with 16 minutes remaining ended the Republic's eight-game unbeaten run.

It was a result made all the more surprising by the fact Armenia, ranked 92nd in the world, had been thumped 9-0 away to Norway in their last fixture, a friendly in March, and had lost nine goals in their previous two home games, scoring just once.

Armenia won promotion to League B of the Nations League after heading North Macedonia, Georgia and Estonia in their group two years ago.


Emil Lazarian: “I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS