by: Orri Benatar
CARDIFF, Wales (WCMH) — The Columbus Crew’s superstar attacking midfielder put together his first dominant performance on the international stage on Friday afternoon.
Lucas Zelarayan is spending the week with the Armenian national team and was the man of the match in the team’s huge upset win 4-2 over Wales in Cardiff. The Black & Gold’s No. 10 scored his first two international goals and provided an assist in the nation’s second game in the UEFA Euro qualifiers.
The 30-year-old was born in Argentina but decided in 2021 to represent Armenia after being invited to represent the European nation. Zelarayan is of Armenian descent through his father and all soccer players are allowed to switch which country they represent in international play one time.
Zelarayan and Armenia will host Latvia on Monday in its last qualifying game until September. The top two teams in Armenia’s group will qualify for next summer’s European Championships in Germany. Armenia, Wales, and Latvia are in a group with Turkey and Croatia.
He is expected to be back with the Crew for the team’s June 24 home match against Nashville SC at Lower.com Field.