May 15, 17:00, Yerevan, Avan Football Academy, Day 33
Round 1 (Day 6). 29.08.2018 Banants vs Pyunik 4-2 Goals - Mohamed Konate, 27 (0-1), Vitali Stezhko,46, own goal (1-1), Erik Vardanyan, 66, 11 pen. (1-2), Igor Stanoevich, 71 (2-2), Vahagn Ayvazyan, 78 (3-2), Walmerson Garcia, 84 (4-2)
Round 2 (Day 15). 04.11.2018 Pyunik vs Banants 2-0 Goals - Alik Arakelyan, 7 (1-0), Alik Arakelyan, 84 (2-0)
Round 3 (Day 24). 31.03.2019 Banants vs Pyunik 1-1 Goals - Vahagn Ayvazyan, 2 (1-0), Rumyan Hovsepyan, 90+2 (1-1)
The 2018/19 Armenian Premier League is gradually coming to an end. Three teams remain in the struggle for champion title – Pyunik, Ararat-Armenia, Banants. At present the tournament table is led by Pyunik with 55 points whom second place runner Ararat-Armenia concedes 3 points. Banants who still has to play one more match concludes the top 3 with 50 points.
Pyunik continues the series of victories and has 6 successive victories after winning 3-0 an away match against Artsakh on the previous day. It’s Pyunik’s best result over the last four seasons. Pyunik had its highest score during his last 2014/15 season of being champion when led by Sargis Hovsepyan our team had 9 victories in a row and was invincible throughout 12 matches.
One of the central matches of not only the day but the championship will take place on the 33rd match day of the Armenian Premier League which can determine the championship race; Pyunik will host Banants at home. No doubt, the match is of a great importance and decisive for both teams.
This season we have already met Banants three times and Pyunik and Banants have had one win each over each other and have ended one match in a tie. Moreover, the difference of scored goals of the teams against each other is equal – 5-5.
Pyunik started the ongoing championship very successfully winning 3 matches in a row and it was Banants that managed to break the series of our team’s victories. In that match of the 6th day of the Premier League Pyunik being 2 goals ahead of Banants due to first Mohamed Konate’s and then Erik Vardanyan’s scored goals, unfortunately, lost 4:2.
The teams’ next match took place on November 3, last year, in the framework of the 15th day of the Premier League where Alik Arakelyan’s two goals decided the match outcome and Pyunik had a confident win, 2-0, at Republican Stadium. It is worth noting that before that match the team hadn’t won for almost a month having scored only 1 goal out of 5 games of the championship.
Our team’s last match against Banants took place on March 31; it was the central match of the 24th day of the Premier League. Due to Vahagn Ayvazyan’s scored goal at the beginning of the Banants was ahead till the end but Rumyan Hovsepyan came out as a substitute equalized the score with a mighty kick on the 2nd minute of the overtime and saved Pyunik from defeat. Pyunik had several good goal opportunities but Banants’s goalkeeper Aram Hayrapetyan played perfectly that day.
As it was announce earlier Pyunik vs Banants match had to be held on the pitch of Etchmiadzin Football Academy but the place and time of the match were changed. It will take place at Avan Football Academy at 17:00.
The match against Banants will be the 50th match of our team’s midfielder Erik Vardanyan in the Armenian Premier League.
