UEFA.com
April 29 2005
Football Europe: Pyunik resume control
FC Pyunik’s quest for a fifth straight Armenian Premier League title
got off to the best possible start – but their Armenian Cup dream
ended at the quarter-final stage.
Champions soar
Pyunik top the table after two wins from two matches, thanks in part
to forward Edgar Manucharyan, who joins AFC Ajax on 1 July on a
three-year contract. The 18-year-old was on target in the 3-0 victory
at FC Ararat Yerevan II which followed a 1-0 opening-day triumph at
home to FC MIKA.
Cup drama
However, Pyunik did not have the same success in the Armenian Cup,
losing 1-0 on aggregate to FC Kilikia, courtesy of a Sargis Movsisian
goal. Samvel Darbinyan’s team of homegrown youngsters are in good
form and won the first leg of their semi-final with FC Banants.
Kilikia are also third in the league after a 5-0 win against Ararat
and 2-2 draw at FC Kotayk.
Supporter unrest
Banants, by contrast, have eight foreigners in their squad, but
despite taking maximum points from their opening two games to join
Pyunik at the top, fans have been unhappy with the number of goals
scored after a 1-0 victory against Kotayk and 3-2 triumph at
newly-promoted FC Lernayin Artsakh.
Debut goal
Lernayin have started their first top-flight season well, sitting
fourth with three points after defeating FC Shirak 4-1. They are
level on points with MIKA, who reinforced in pre-season by recruiting
striker Sergiy Shevchenko from FC Avangard Kursk. Shevchenko marked
his debut with a goal in a 2-1 success against FC Dinamo-Zenit
Yerevan.
Big losses
At the bottom, three sides are still to get off the mark, though
Dinamo-Zenit and last year’s bottom club Shirak have played just
once. More worringly, Ararat are pointless after two matches,
conceding eight goals in the process, and have not been helped by the
loss of key players to Lernayin.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress