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ARMENIA IN FOCUS
Thomas Michalakos
Sportsnet.ca
http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/2012/02/27/canada_armenia_soccer_friendly/
Feb 27 2012
Canada
When you think of budding football nations, Armenia would not make
the cut.
Since gaining independence after the split-up of the Soviet Union
in 1992, the Highlanders have never qualified for a major tournament
and are normally considered a stepping stone for the more established
national teams in UEFA. Most consider them as an easy three points,
lumped in with similar minnows such as San Marino, Andorra, Moldova
and Liechtenstein.
But the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign resulted in a major change of
fortune, with Armenia becoming the predator instead of the prey and
coming within 90 minutes of making history.
With Canada set to play Armenia in Cyprus Wednesday in a friendly,
most people are unaware of the Canucks' latest opponents. Here is a
rough guide on what you need to know about Armenian football and who
to watch out for when the two countries meet.
History
In just under 20 years, Armenia has made significant strides to gain
respectability in the world of football. Their lowest FIFA ranking was
159 (June 1994), but now the tiny nation of just over three million
inhabitants are 41st in the world and 25th in Europe, their best ever
seeding in their short history.
Development has not been easy, especially prior to 1991 when the
domestic league fell under the Soviet football pyramid and was
nothing more than a regional tournament. Some of the country's best
even suited up for the USSR. After the collapse of communism, the
Armenian Football Federation was formed and they immediately created
their own identity by setting up a Premier League, First Division
and domestic cup competition (Independence Cup) in 1992.
Currently the top tier consists of eight teams and the second tier
has nine, although all the clubs in the lower division are reserve
sides from the Premiership. FC Pyunik is the most decorated club in
Armenian football with 13 league titles, five Independence Cups and
eight Armenian Supercups. They are also the most popular club in the
country and boast an incredible list of graduates -- most of the top
players in Armenia have come through their youth set-up.
However last year saw a new team lift the title for the first time
in ten seasons, with Ulisses FC being crowned champions. No club
has ever made it to the group stages of a European competition,
a statistic that might soon change.
Qualification Results
First International Match: Armenia vs. Moldova (0-0) in Yerevan
1996 European Cup Qualifying: last place in their group, beat Macedonia
in Skopje for their only victory. Conceded seventeen times and only
scored five goals in 10 matches. Almost earned a result in Seville
against Spain, but lost on a second-half penalty.
1998 World Cup Qualifying: finished in fourth place ahead of Northern
Ireland and Albania, but 12 points back of a birth to the finals.
Started the group stage with a morale-boosting goalless draw at home
to Portugal, and recorded a 3-0 victory over the last-place Albanians
towards the end of qualifying.
2000 European Cup Qualifying: finished second from bottom, with both
wins coming against last-place Andorra. Best result in defeat came
against France, losing 3-2 at the Hrazdan Stadium after taking the
early lead.
2002 World Cup Qualifying: another last place finish, ending without
a win and five draws in 10 matches. Best result came in 1-1 draw at
home to eventual group winners Poland, and lost a heartbreaker to
Ukraine 3-2 after being taking a two-goal lead at home.
2004 European Cup Qualifying: beat Northern Ireland twice to finish
ahead of them in the group, fourth from five teams and ten points
off a playoff spot that included eventual cup winners Greece
2006 World Cup Qualifying: both wins came against lowly Andorra,
which kept them from finishing at the foot of the group. Terrible
defensively, conceding 25 goals in twelve matches, most in their
history at a major tournament. Almost produced a shocking result in
Yerevan against group winners Netherlands, but a second-half goal by
Ruud van Nistelrooy ruined a good overall performance.
2008 European Cup Qualifying: UEFA decided to cancel both legs versus
Azerbaijan, leaving both teams with only 12 matches played instead of
14. Finished second-last in group, but recorded back-to-back victories
against Kazakhstan and Poland, before tying Portugal at home. Despite
positive results, four goals scored came in those three matches.
2010 World Cup Qualifying: Another disappointing finish, dead last
in group with a single victory against Belgium at home. The result
was followed by an impressive performance versus Spain, coming from
behind before losing 2-1 from a second-half penalty by Juan Mata. Only
six goals scored in 10 matches.
2012 European Cup Qualifying: best result yet, finishing third and
missing a playoff spot by four points. Won five matches from 10,
leading group with 22 goals scored. Beat Slovakia in both legs,
recording their best ever result with a 4-0 victory in Zilina. Loss
on final day ended Cinderella run. Armenia scored two goals in the
match, however one was an own goal by Valeri Aleksanyan which gave
Ireland the 2-1 win.
Players to Watch
Gevorg Ghazaryan (Metalurh Donetsk): plays as an attacking midfielder
or a striker and earned first international cap in 2007. He has scored
six goals in 23 matches for the national team, five of them coming
in 2012 qualifying, and is one of Armenia's main goal threats.
Marcos Pizzelli (FC Kuban Krasnodar): Brazilian by birth, the attacking
midfielder made his debut for the national side in 2008 after gaining
citizenship, scoring five goals in 18 matches -- four of them coming
from the recent qualifying campaign. He spent five seasons in the
Armenian top flight, winning three scoring titles with 75 goals in
total. Possesses the skill to also create chances for teammates and
is one of the team's main threats in the offensive zone.
Yura Movsisyan (FC Krasnodar): played in the MLS for Real Salt Lake
between 2007 and 2009. The forward led the team with five assists in
qualifying, and is not afraid to pull the trigger if given a chance
on goal, adding four goals in the process.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Shakhtar Donetsk): by far the best player on the
pitch for Armenia. The midfielder was purchased for 7.5 million Euros
from his former employers Metalurh Donetsk last year, and made his
Champions League debut this season. Netted eight times in 27 matches
for the national team, six of those strikes came in qualification
for the team lead. Only three goals shy of Armenia's all-time leader
Arthur Petrosyan
Sargis Hovsepyan (FC Pyunik): the 39-year-old defender is national
team captain and leads by example at the back. He has accumulated 125
international caps in 20 years of service, becoming Armenia's all-time
leader. Over 300 appearances with FC Puynik, achieved legendary
status in his country for being one of their most decorated players,
winning nine Armenian Premiership titles and four Independence Cups.
Roman Berezovsky (Dynamo Moscow): considered one of the country's best
goalkeepers of all-time, with 69 international caps under his belt.
Most of career spent in Russia with Zenit St. Petersburg and FC Khimki,
racking up 300 appearances in total for both clubs. Earned four clean
sheets in 2012 Euro qualifying, helping Armenia concede the fewest
amount of goals in a single tournament -- their best defensive result
with only 10 goals allowed in as many matches.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International friendlies: Watch England-Netherlands live on Sportsnet,
Germany-France live on Sportsnet World and Italy-USA live on Sportsnet
ONE starting at 2:30pm ET on February 29.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Manager
Vardan Minasyan officially took over as full-time manager in February
2010, and has guided the team through their recent turnaround. Only 38
years old, his professional playing career was short-lived and ended
in 2003, spending most of that time with FC Pyunik as a midfielder.
Minasyan has earned the trust of his players by producing results
and has developed a solid foundation that will continue to improve
through time. Armenia plays an attacking brand of football (4-3-3)
under their new manager, but his players are well drilled on keeping
things tight in the defensive end.
The Final Verdict
This will be a great test for Canada, as Armenia sits 30 places
above them in the FIFA rankings and hold a higher seed than all
three opponents the Canucks will face in the third round of CONCACAF
qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.
Thomas Michalakos is a former associate producer with Sportsnet's
Soccercentral and writes the weekly blog Soccerholic365. Follow Thomas
on Twitter.
Thomas Michalakos
Sportsnet.ca
http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/2012/02/27/canada_armenia_soccer_friendly/
Feb 27 2012
Canada
When you think of budding football nations, Armenia would not make
the cut.
Since gaining independence after the split-up of the Soviet Union
in 1992, the Highlanders have never qualified for a major tournament
and are normally considered a stepping stone for the more established
national teams in UEFA. Most consider them as an easy three points,
lumped in with similar minnows such as San Marino, Andorra, Moldova
and Liechtenstein.
But the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign resulted in a major change of
fortune, with Armenia becoming the predator instead of the prey and
coming within 90 minutes of making history.
With Canada set to play Armenia in Cyprus Wednesday in a friendly,
most people are unaware of the Canucks' latest opponents. Here is a
rough guide on what you need to know about Armenian football and who
to watch out for when the two countries meet.
History
In just under 20 years, Armenia has made significant strides to gain
respectability in the world of football. Their lowest FIFA ranking was
159 (June 1994), but now the tiny nation of just over three million
inhabitants are 41st in the world and 25th in Europe, their best ever
seeding in their short history.
Development has not been easy, especially prior to 1991 when the
domestic league fell under the Soviet football pyramid and was
nothing more than a regional tournament. Some of the country's best
even suited up for the USSR. After the collapse of communism, the
Armenian Football Federation was formed and they immediately created
their own identity by setting up a Premier League, First Division
and domestic cup competition (Independence Cup) in 1992.
Currently the top tier consists of eight teams and the second tier
has nine, although all the clubs in the lower division are reserve
sides from the Premiership. FC Pyunik is the most decorated club in
Armenian football with 13 league titles, five Independence Cups and
eight Armenian Supercups. They are also the most popular club in the
country and boast an incredible list of graduates -- most of the top
players in Armenia have come through their youth set-up.
However last year saw a new team lift the title for the first time
in ten seasons, with Ulisses FC being crowned champions. No club
has ever made it to the group stages of a European competition,
a statistic that might soon change.
Qualification Results
First International Match: Armenia vs. Moldova (0-0) in Yerevan
1996 European Cup Qualifying: last place in their group, beat Macedonia
in Skopje for their only victory. Conceded seventeen times and only
scored five goals in 10 matches. Almost earned a result in Seville
against Spain, but lost on a second-half penalty.
1998 World Cup Qualifying: finished in fourth place ahead of Northern
Ireland and Albania, but 12 points back of a birth to the finals.
Started the group stage with a morale-boosting goalless draw at home
to Portugal, and recorded a 3-0 victory over the last-place Albanians
towards the end of qualifying.
2000 European Cup Qualifying: finished second from bottom, with both
wins coming against last-place Andorra. Best result in defeat came
against France, losing 3-2 at the Hrazdan Stadium after taking the
early lead.
2002 World Cup Qualifying: another last place finish, ending without
a win and five draws in 10 matches. Best result came in 1-1 draw at
home to eventual group winners Poland, and lost a heartbreaker to
Ukraine 3-2 after being taking a two-goal lead at home.
2004 European Cup Qualifying: beat Northern Ireland twice to finish
ahead of them in the group, fourth from five teams and ten points
off a playoff spot that included eventual cup winners Greece
2006 World Cup Qualifying: both wins came against lowly Andorra,
which kept them from finishing at the foot of the group. Terrible
defensively, conceding 25 goals in twelve matches, most in their
history at a major tournament. Almost produced a shocking result in
Yerevan against group winners Netherlands, but a second-half goal by
Ruud van Nistelrooy ruined a good overall performance.
2008 European Cup Qualifying: UEFA decided to cancel both legs versus
Azerbaijan, leaving both teams with only 12 matches played instead of
14. Finished second-last in group, but recorded back-to-back victories
against Kazakhstan and Poland, before tying Portugal at home. Despite
positive results, four goals scored came in those three matches.
2010 World Cup Qualifying: Another disappointing finish, dead last
in group with a single victory against Belgium at home. The result
was followed by an impressive performance versus Spain, coming from
behind before losing 2-1 from a second-half penalty by Juan Mata. Only
six goals scored in 10 matches.
2012 European Cup Qualifying: best result yet, finishing third and
missing a playoff spot by four points. Won five matches from 10,
leading group with 22 goals scored. Beat Slovakia in both legs,
recording their best ever result with a 4-0 victory in Zilina. Loss
on final day ended Cinderella run. Armenia scored two goals in the
match, however one was an own goal by Valeri Aleksanyan which gave
Ireland the 2-1 win.
Players to Watch
Gevorg Ghazaryan (Metalurh Donetsk): plays as an attacking midfielder
or a striker and earned first international cap in 2007. He has scored
six goals in 23 matches for the national team, five of them coming
in 2012 qualifying, and is one of Armenia's main goal threats.
Marcos Pizzelli (FC Kuban Krasnodar): Brazilian by birth, the attacking
midfielder made his debut for the national side in 2008 after gaining
citizenship, scoring five goals in 18 matches -- four of them coming
from the recent qualifying campaign. He spent five seasons in the
Armenian top flight, winning three scoring titles with 75 goals in
total. Possesses the skill to also create chances for teammates and
is one of the team's main threats in the offensive zone.
Yura Movsisyan (FC Krasnodar): played in the MLS for Real Salt Lake
between 2007 and 2009. The forward led the team with five assists in
qualifying, and is not afraid to pull the trigger if given a chance
on goal, adding four goals in the process.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Shakhtar Donetsk): by far the best player on the
pitch for Armenia. The midfielder was purchased for 7.5 million Euros
from his former employers Metalurh Donetsk last year, and made his
Champions League debut this season. Netted eight times in 27 matches
for the national team, six of those strikes came in qualification
for the team lead. Only three goals shy of Armenia's all-time leader
Arthur Petrosyan
Sargis Hovsepyan (FC Pyunik): the 39-year-old defender is national
team captain and leads by example at the back. He has accumulated 125
international caps in 20 years of service, becoming Armenia's all-time
leader. Over 300 appearances with FC Puynik, achieved legendary
status in his country for being one of their most decorated players,
winning nine Armenian Premiership titles and four Independence Cups.
Roman Berezovsky (Dynamo Moscow): considered one of the country's best
goalkeepers of all-time, with 69 international caps under his belt.
Most of career spent in Russia with Zenit St. Petersburg and FC Khimki,
racking up 300 appearances in total for both clubs. Earned four clean
sheets in 2012 Euro qualifying, helping Armenia concede the fewest
amount of goals in a single tournament -- their best defensive result
with only 10 goals allowed in as many matches.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International friendlies: Watch England-Netherlands live on Sportsnet,
Germany-France live on Sportsnet World and Italy-USA live on Sportsnet
ONE starting at 2:30pm ET on February 29.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Manager
Vardan Minasyan officially took over as full-time manager in February
2010, and has guided the team through their recent turnaround. Only 38
years old, his professional playing career was short-lived and ended
in 2003, spending most of that time with FC Pyunik as a midfielder.
Minasyan has earned the trust of his players by producing results
and has developed a solid foundation that will continue to improve
through time. Armenia plays an attacking brand of football (4-3-3)
under their new manager, but his players are well drilled on keeping
things tight in the defensive end.
The Final Verdict
This will be a great test for Canada, as Armenia sits 30 places
above them in the FIFA rankings and hold a higher seed than all
three opponents the Canucks will face in the third round of CONCACAF
qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.
Thomas Michalakos is a former associate producer with Sportsnet's
Soccercentral and writes the weekly blog Soccerholic365. Follow Thomas
on Twitter.