SPORTSWORLD.AM
In the first round match of the UEFA Conference League, Sandro Perkovic's NOA hosted Croatian champions Reika in Yerevan.
The Yerevan club began its journey in European competition in the Champions League, but advanced to the Conference League stage for the second year in a row.
At the start of the match, the Croatian club earned a free kick, which Timoty Fajuli failed to convert. Noah responded in the sixth minute of the match, with Nardin Mulahusejnović opening the scoring from Takuto Oshima's cross. The Yerevan team has three wins, one draw and one loss in its last five matches in the current tournament. The Croatian champion/cupholder has also won one, lost one and drawn three of its last five matches. In the thirtieth minute of the match, Raduslav Gijenov sent off Reika player Niko Janković with a red card for a foul on Noah's central midfielder Jan Etek.
Jan Eteki and his teammates started the second half as winners, but according to statistics, the Yerevan team attacked 35 times, which suggests that “Noah” is playing passive football. The club led by the Croatian specialist can do more, which they are unable to do as of the 62nd minute of the match. As of the 65th minute, “Noah” is in possession of the ball with a percentage ratio of 71/29%.
The absence of Oulad Omar from the starting lineup, who has repeatedly scored goals for his opponents on this European road to the league stage, is puzzling. A few minutes before the end of the regular time of the match, the Yerevan team could have doubled the score as a result of a multi-sided combination, but it was not possible to complete it.
Thus, "Noah" starts the Champions League stage with a positive result. Let's add that the soldiers of the Armenian Army were also present at the match and showed strong support for the champion of Armenia.