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Soccer: Pyunik out of Champions League; Mika still hopeful in Europa

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Despite the great enthusiasm displayed by the FC Mika players in front of the home crowd on Thursday, the Yerevan team failed to convert any of their numerous goal-scoring chances, drawing 0-0 against Macedonia’s FK Rabotnicki. The first leg of the tie played in Skopje last week brought a 1-0 victory to the Macedonians.

The match of plenty of missed opportunities for the Yerevan side also provided at least one controversy when the official changed his decision twice after what looked to be a poor Rabotnicki goalkeeper tackle on a Mika forward. Consultations with his assistant led the Czech referee to cancel his previous decision to award a penalty kick to Mika late in the first half. Mika kept the pressure on, but failed to take the game into overtime.

Mika’s defeat completed what has been another failed season for Armenian clubs in European club competitions. Earlier titleholder Pyunik left the UEFA Champions League stage after losing to Serbia’s FK Partizan in the second qualifying round. FC Banants and FC Ulis featured in the UEFA Europa League were eliminated in the first knockout round by Anorthosis (Cyprus) and FC Bnei Yehuda (Israel), respectively.

In a total of eight matches played in European Cup tournaments this summer, Armenian clubs have suffered six defeats and achieved only two goalless draws (the aggregate goal difference of the four teams in their eight matches standing at a 1-10).

No Armenian club has yet reached the main (autumn-spring) stages of UEFA club competitions since the ex-Soviet country became associated with European soccer’s governing body in the 1990s.