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GRAHAM: ARMENIA SOCCER TEAM OPENS SEASON WITH DRAW
Posted by M.J. Graham on February 7, 2013 in News
Armenia opened the 2013 international season with a 1:1 draw against
Luxembourg at the Stade Georges Pompidou in Valence, France on Feb. 5.
Luxembourg's experienced midfielder Mario Mutsch found the net on the
volley after 14 minutes of play, and Edgar Manucharyan replied for
Armenia with a header on 43 minutes to restore parity entering the
break. Although Armenia dominated play and created plenty of chances
in the second half, they were unable to add to the score sheet,
and their opening match of the year ended in a disappointing draw.
Armenia's national soccer team
Just as Coach Minasyan had done last year, an experimental team
was run out for the first match of the season. International debuts
were handed to Artem Khatchaturov and Norayr Aslanyan, players who
recently became eligible for selection, while Karen Muradyan and
Taron Voskanian were also introduced into the fray in the hope of
establishing themselves in the side.
The chosen venue for this match has received a certain amount of
criticism in the media. The standard of playing surface and lack of
television coverage were at the center of the backlash. The match
was played in wet conditions, on a bumpy surface, and in front of
a sparse crowd. A grainy internet feed and radio broadcast were the
only broadcast options available and even those were intermittent.
Torrential rain during the first half was seemingly to blame for the
spotty coverage. Taking all of this into account, the setup was hardly
conducive to attractive football or pleasing to Armenia's worldwide
fan base.
The playing surface also brought an element of risk into play. With
crucial World Cup qualifiers on the horizon, injuries can have toll
on Armenia. Granted, injuries are a part of football, but they can be
minimized. Shortly after scoring, Luxembourg's Mario Mutsch was forced
to retire with an unfortunate ankle injury. Armenia cannot afford
such injuries with the strong Czech Republic side waiting in the wings.
The town of Valance does hold a little romance for Armenians and
Henrikh Mkhitaryan in particular. Henrikh's father Hamlet spent a
number of years there as a player with ASOA Valence in the early
nineties, with Henrikh spending much of his early years there and
making many friends. With such a large Armenian community in the
region, some believed that as many as 8,000 fans would visit the
Stade Georges Pompidou. Perhaps the adverse weather conditions and
the caliber of Armenia's opponent (on paper at least) contributed to
the weaker attendance figures.
Luxembourg's national soccer team
Luxembourg entered the match with a depleted squad of 18 players and on
the back of some poor results. With nine of the squad being defenders,
perhaps that was a signal of their intent on the night.
Many of their key players including Deville, Payal, and Bensi were
unavailable through injury and this led Coach Luc Holtz to call a
number of youngsters into the squad from the National Football League
in Luxembourg. With such an inexperienced squad at his disposal and
his veteran foreign based players Joachim and Mutsch only arriving
the day before the match, the 1-1 result was all the more commendable
for the Red Lions.
Luxembourg employed a defensive setup, maintaining men behind the
ball and hoping for some joy on the counter attack. The poor weather
conditions and playing surface along with some good goalkeeping proved
all the help Holtz's men would need to grind out the result. Any
advantage Armenia brought into the match in terms of skill and
enterprise was nullified by the pitch and general conditions of play.
Armenia opened the match brightly, dominating possession but ultimately
struggling to fashion a clear opening. The poor playing surface
disrupted their usually fluid passing in the final third.
Close to the quarter hour mark, a hopeful diagonal ball from Daniel
Alves da Mota found Mario Mutsch peeling off his defender into space.
Showing terrific concentration and technique the Luxembourg talisman
who plies his trade for FC St. Gallen in Switzerland, met the 40-yard
pass on the full volley and guided his effort across Berezovsky and
into the net. The speculative long range effort seemed to catch the
Armenian keeper unaware. The simple move that didn't initially seem
threatening was converted into a shock lead with Mutsch's quality
strike.
In response to falling behind Armenia created a couple of good chances
with Ozbiliz and Manucharyan coming close to scoring, following
creative play from Marcos Pizzelli and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Armenia
finally found the equalizer after 43 minutes. A move down the left
wing saw Marcos Pizzelli deliver an early cross into the Luxembourg
area. Edgar Manucharyan took advantage of the acres of space afforded
him as the Luxembourg defense seemed all at sea. Manucharyan ran from
the top of the box unopposed and met the ball perfectly, guiding
a header to the bottom corner of the net. The match was all square
entering half time.
Armenia looked to take the early initiative in the second half. Aras
Ozbiliz was looking lively down the right and was denied a goal by
Jonathon Joubert in the Luxembourg net after a run and shot was beaten
away. The follow-up attempt from Aras was also cleared to safety. The
pressure was beginning to tell as the Luxembourg players scrambled to
deny Armenia space and clog the middle of the park. Luxembourg gave
away plenty of free kicks in dangerous areas but Armenia was unable
to capitalize.
The finishing in front of goal was also rusty. This could be put down
to the pitch or it being the first match of the year. Marcos Pizzelli
found himself in a glorious position yards from the Luxembourg goal
following a neat exchange at the edge of the box. Joubert was sharp
yet again, closing the angle and denying Pizzelli a certain goal.
Later on, debutant Aslanyan also found himself with a clear sight of
goal. He opened his body towards the goal in an attempt to curl the
ball home but he snatched at the chance and skied the ball into the
stands. For all their dominance, Armenia was still susceptible to the
counter attack. Luxembourg also threatened to score as the half wore
on. Luxembourg's U21 striker David Turpel came close on one occasion
and Da Mota was also in the mix late-on but Berezovsky stood firm.
Although the result may not be desirable, the performance was
workmanlike and the match was effectively an exercise in introducing
new players into the setup. Coach Minasyan is still tinkering with
his defense, and after this latest experiment he is one match closer
to knowing his best starting back-four.
As a debutant, Norayr Aslanyan played well, showing a desire for
touches by making himself available as an outlet on numerous occasions
following his introduction. Artem Khatchaturov is also a key addition
to the squad. His size and aerial ability are skills that Armenia
needs as they look to improve their defending under the high ball.
Assuming he works his way into the side, it will be important to
be partnered in central defense by a player that compliment what
Khatchaturov brings to the table. There is still plenty of work to
be done and plenty of questions that still need answering. Up next
for Armenia is a match versus Turkmenistan on March 22, followed by
the much sterner test from the Czech Republic's visit to Yerevan on
March 26.
Armenia: R. Berezovsky, J. Hambardzumyan (46' Artak Yedigaryan), R.
Arzumanyan (88' T. Voskanian), A. Khatchaturov (YC)(80' H. Mkoyan), K.
Hovhannisyan, K. Muradyan (78' K. Lazarian), H. Mkhitaryan, A.
Ozbiliz, M Pizzelli, G. Ghazaryan (61' N. Aslanyan), E. Manucharyan
(72' A. Sarkisov)
Manager: V. Minasyan
Luxembourg: J. Joubert, C. Philipps, E. Hoffmann, T Schnell, G.
Bettmer (56' D. Turpel), L. Jans (YC), M. Janisch, M. Mutsch (23' R.
Peters), T. Laterza (63' M. Martino), A. Joachim (G. Blaise), D. Da
Mota (84' D. Collette)
Manager: Luc Holtz
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/02/07/graham-armenia-soccer-team-opens-season-with-draw/
From: Baghdasarian
Posted by M.J. Graham on February 7, 2013 in News
Armenia opened the 2013 international season with a 1:1 draw against
Luxembourg at the Stade Georges Pompidou in Valence, France on Feb. 5.
Luxembourg's experienced midfielder Mario Mutsch found the net on the
volley after 14 minutes of play, and Edgar Manucharyan replied for
Armenia with a header on 43 minutes to restore parity entering the
break. Although Armenia dominated play and created plenty of chances
in the second half, they were unable to add to the score sheet,
and their opening match of the year ended in a disappointing draw.
Armenia's national soccer team
Just as Coach Minasyan had done last year, an experimental team
was run out for the first match of the season. International debuts
were handed to Artem Khatchaturov and Norayr Aslanyan, players who
recently became eligible for selection, while Karen Muradyan and
Taron Voskanian were also introduced into the fray in the hope of
establishing themselves in the side.
The chosen venue for this match has received a certain amount of
criticism in the media. The standard of playing surface and lack of
television coverage were at the center of the backlash. The match
was played in wet conditions, on a bumpy surface, and in front of
a sparse crowd. A grainy internet feed and radio broadcast were the
only broadcast options available and even those were intermittent.
Torrential rain during the first half was seemingly to blame for the
spotty coverage. Taking all of this into account, the setup was hardly
conducive to attractive football or pleasing to Armenia's worldwide
fan base.
The playing surface also brought an element of risk into play. With
crucial World Cup qualifiers on the horizon, injuries can have toll
on Armenia. Granted, injuries are a part of football, but they can be
minimized. Shortly after scoring, Luxembourg's Mario Mutsch was forced
to retire with an unfortunate ankle injury. Armenia cannot afford
such injuries with the strong Czech Republic side waiting in the wings.
The town of Valance does hold a little romance for Armenians and
Henrikh Mkhitaryan in particular. Henrikh's father Hamlet spent a
number of years there as a player with ASOA Valence in the early
nineties, with Henrikh spending much of his early years there and
making many friends. With such a large Armenian community in the
region, some believed that as many as 8,000 fans would visit the
Stade Georges Pompidou. Perhaps the adverse weather conditions and
the caliber of Armenia's opponent (on paper at least) contributed to
the weaker attendance figures.
Luxembourg's national soccer team
Luxembourg entered the match with a depleted squad of 18 players and on
the back of some poor results. With nine of the squad being defenders,
perhaps that was a signal of their intent on the night.
Many of their key players including Deville, Payal, and Bensi were
unavailable through injury and this led Coach Luc Holtz to call a
number of youngsters into the squad from the National Football League
in Luxembourg. With such an inexperienced squad at his disposal and
his veteran foreign based players Joachim and Mutsch only arriving
the day before the match, the 1-1 result was all the more commendable
for the Red Lions.
Luxembourg employed a defensive setup, maintaining men behind the
ball and hoping for some joy on the counter attack. The poor weather
conditions and playing surface along with some good goalkeeping proved
all the help Holtz's men would need to grind out the result. Any
advantage Armenia brought into the match in terms of skill and
enterprise was nullified by the pitch and general conditions of play.
Armenia opened the match brightly, dominating possession but ultimately
struggling to fashion a clear opening. The poor playing surface
disrupted their usually fluid passing in the final third.
Close to the quarter hour mark, a hopeful diagonal ball from Daniel
Alves da Mota found Mario Mutsch peeling off his defender into space.
Showing terrific concentration and technique the Luxembourg talisman
who plies his trade for FC St. Gallen in Switzerland, met the 40-yard
pass on the full volley and guided his effort across Berezovsky and
into the net. The speculative long range effort seemed to catch the
Armenian keeper unaware. The simple move that didn't initially seem
threatening was converted into a shock lead with Mutsch's quality
strike.
In response to falling behind Armenia created a couple of good chances
with Ozbiliz and Manucharyan coming close to scoring, following
creative play from Marcos Pizzelli and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Armenia
finally found the equalizer after 43 minutes. A move down the left
wing saw Marcos Pizzelli deliver an early cross into the Luxembourg
area. Edgar Manucharyan took advantage of the acres of space afforded
him as the Luxembourg defense seemed all at sea. Manucharyan ran from
the top of the box unopposed and met the ball perfectly, guiding
a header to the bottom corner of the net. The match was all square
entering half time.
Armenia looked to take the early initiative in the second half. Aras
Ozbiliz was looking lively down the right and was denied a goal by
Jonathon Joubert in the Luxembourg net after a run and shot was beaten
away. The follow-up attempt from Aras was also cleared to safety. The
pressure was beginning to tell as the Luxembourg players scrambled to
deny Armenia space and clog the middle of the park. Luxembourg gave
away plenty of free kicks in dangerous areas but Armenia was unable
to capitalize.
The finishing in front of goal was also rusty. This could be put down
to the pitch or it being the first match of the year. Marcos Pizzelli
found himself in a glorious position yards from the Luxembourg goal
following a neat exchange at the edge of the box. Joubert was sharp
yet again, closing the angle and denying Pizzelli a certain goal.
Later on, debutant Aslanyan also found himself with a clear sight of
goal. He opened his body towards the goal in an attempt to curl the
ball home but he snatched at the chance and skied the ball into the
stands. For all their dominance, Armenia was still susceptible to the
counter attack. Luxembourg also threatened to score as the half wore
on. Luxembourg's U21 striker David Turpel came close on one occasion
and Da Mota was also in the mix late-on but Berezovsky stood firm.
Although the result may not be desirable, the performance was
workmanlike and the match was effectively an exercise in introducing
new players into the setup. Coach Minasyan is still tinkering with
his defense, and after this latest experiment he is one match closer
to knowing his best starting back-four.
As a debutant, Norayr Aslanyan played well, showing a desire for
touches by making himself available as an outlet on numerous occasions
following his introduction. Artem Khatchaturov is also a key addition
to the squad. His size and aerial ability are skills that Armenia
needs as they look to improve their defending under the high ball.
Assuming he works his way into the side, it will be important to
be partnered in central defense by a player that compliment what
Khatchaturov brings to the table. There is still plenty of work to
be done and plenty of questions that still need answering. Up next
for Armenia is a match versus Turkmenistan on March 22, followed by
the much sterner test from the Czech Republic's visit to Yerevan on
March 26.
Armenia: R. Berezovsky, J. Hambardzumyan (46' Artak Yedigaryan), R.
Arzumanyan (88' T. Voskanian), A. Khatchaturov (YC)(80' H. Mkoyan), K.
Hovhannisyan, K. Muradyan (78' K. Lazarian), H. Mkhitaryan, A.
Ozbiliz, M Pizzelli, G. Ghazaryan (61' N. Aslanyan), E. Manucharyan
(72' A. Sarkisov)
Manager: V. Minasyan
Luxembourg: J. Joubert, C. Philipps, E. Hoffmann, T Schnell, G.
Bettmer (56' D. Turpel), L. Jans (YC), M. Janisch, M. Mutsch (23' R.
Peters), T. Laterza (63' M. Martino), A. Joachim (G. Blaise), D. Da
Mota (84' D. Collette)
Manager: Luc Holtz
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/02/07/graham-armenia-soccer-team-opens-season-with-draw/
From: Baghdasarian