For the second successive year FC Alashkert (Yerevan) plays Andorra champion FC Santa Coloma in the first qualifying stage of the Champions League.
The previous exchange
Santa Coloma, the strongest club and unchanging champion of Andorra for many years, met another Armenian club in the competition – FC Banants. It was after beating Banants that the Andorra club qualified for the second stage in 2015.
However, Alashkert defeated Santa Coloma last year. Abraham Khashmanyan’s men drew the away game and finished the home one 3:0 thanks to goals from Mihran Manasyan, Norayr Gosalyan, and Artur Yedigaryan.
Photo: FC Alashkert
Tension was high before and during the game. First Khashmanyan announced they would “crush” the opponent, afterwards, Santa Coloma manager complained the word was offensive and claimed the victory was stolen. The referee applied the red card generously during the match, sending off Manasyan and three Andorran players.
Today’s match
Abraham Khashmanyan left the last year’s ugly moments in the past.
“It’s been a year and a lot has changed. We expect a difficult game, but as always, we intend to fight for the win and we only have one goal – to qualify for the next stage,” Khashmanyan stated at the press conference.
He stressed his team was ready and would play good football. They know their rival, mostly comprised of Andorra national team players, and want to win again.
“Alashkert is quite successful in Armenia and abroad. We will write history again,” Khashmanyan concluded.
Santa Coloma manager Richard Imberno Rios also left behind the circumstances of the previous meeting and believes his team’s objective is to qualify for the next stage of the Champions League.
Photo: FC Alashkert
“We played here just a year ago and we know our opponents well. Alashkert won’t have an easy victory, but we analyzed our previous experience and prepared better this time,” Imberno said.
He noted he studied Alashkert, learned about the club’s achievements, and will try to beat them tactically, “Alashkert has good players who had important roles in last year’s match. Mihran Manasyan, Artur Yedigaryan, and Khoren Veranyan were particularly good.”
Alashkert vs Santa Coloma will kick off at 20:00 in Armenia time at Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium in Yerevan, Armenia. The entrance is free.
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