Pyunik kicked off their performances in the new season with an away match against Maltese runners-up Marsaxlokk in the first qualifying round of the 2026/27 UEFA Conference League.

In the first leg of the tie, Artak Oseyan fielded perhaps the most optimal lineup at his disposal from the very first minutes. The only "newcomer" in Pyunik's starting lineup was Hovhannes Harutyunyan, who could only conditionally be considered as such. It is worth noting that Brazilian James Santos was absent from our team's squad due to suspension.

From the very beginning of the match, our team dictated the play and managed to create several threatening moments near Marsaxlokk's goal in the first 5-6 minutes. As early as the 4th minute, Pyunik had a great opportunity to open the scoring when, following a quick counterattack, Momo Yansané received the ball from Mikhail Kovalenko but shot slightly over the crossbar from a favorable position.

Shortly after, Daniil Kulikov unleashed a dangerous shot at the Maltese club's goal, and a minute later, Momo Yansané tried to score from a tight angle. However, in both cases, Marsaxlokk goalkeeper Christopher Mafoumbi managed to parry the ball with great difficulty.

In the 40th minute, Pyunik's efforts paid off. Daniil Kulikov broke into the opponent's penalty area with the ball, after which Marsaxlokk captain Juan Corbolan fouled our player. The Bosnian referee of the match, Miloš Gigović, pointed to the penalty spot without hesitation. Momo Yansané stepped up to the ball and opened the scoring with an accurate strike — 0:1.

It is worth noting that the Guinean forward had scored his previous goal in European competitions two years ago—also in the Conference League tournament—when he found the net against Omonia Nicosia in both matches while playing for Torpedo Kutaisi.

After the break, our team continued to hold a clear advantage over the opponent, and in the 51st minute, Pyunik managed to double their lead. Our players moved the ball with quick passes, after which Momo Yansané set up Artak Dashyan in a shooting position, and the latter unleashed his "main weapon," making it 0-2 with an unstoppable strike from outside the penalty area.

Incidentally, this is not the first time Artak has stood out for our team with such shots in European competitions. One can recall his goals scored from the edge of the box against Slovan Bratislava and Estonia's Narva Trans in the Conference League.

In the 65th minute, another attack by our team was crowned with success. Substituted Cypriot forward Iasonas Pikis, making his debut for Pyunik, received a well-measured pass from Daniil Kulikov and broke into the opponent's penalty box. Following his shot, Mafoumbi made a selfless save, but Mikhail Kovalenko masterfully sent the ball into Marsaxlokk's net on the second attempt, making it 0-3.

During the remainder of the match, our team had several more clear-cut chances and could have made the scoreline even bigger. Substituted Robert Darbinyan and the same Artak Dashyan came very close to scoring, with Dashyan’s powerful strike rattling the opponent's crossbar.

Pyunik secured a confident 3-0 victory in the away match, while also standing out with a combinational and spectacular style of play.

Our team made a strong statement for advancing to the next round ahead of the return match against Marsaxlokk, which will take place on July 16 at the Republican Stadium in Yerevan.